Stigma and its Correlates among Caregivers of Patients with Bipolar Disorder

Background: Stigma associated with mental illness is multifaceted, and it extends to even those who take care of the afflicted persons. Research shows that stigma has maximal impact on patients who have schizophrenia and their caregivers, but information pertaining to caregivers of patients with bipolar disorder is minimal. Accordingly, this study aimed to evaluate stigma and its correlates among caregivers of patients with bipolar disorder.

Methodology: This cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary care hospital purposively enrolled 103 caregivers of patients with bipolar disorder-I. The caregivers were assessed on the stigma scale for caregivers of people with mental illness (CPMI) and the Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue (EMIC) stigma scale.

Results: The majority of caregivers attributed the illness of the patient to stress (54.4%), chemical imbalance (48.5%), or heredity (29.1%), while nearly one-fourth believed it to be the will of God. The mean weighted scores on various domains of CPMI were comparable [affective domain = 2.24 (standard deviation (SD) = 0.51); cognitive domain = 2.25 (SD = 0.54) and behavioral domain = 2.23 (SD = 0.55)]. The mean score on EMIC was 28.00 (SD = 14.57). Caregivers with low income reported higher stigma in affective and cognitive domains. Also, lesser time spent with the patient correlated with higher stigma in the affective domain. Furthermore, poor functioning of the patient was associated with high caregiver stigma in cognitive and behavioral domains.

Conclusion: Caregivers of patients with bipolar disorder experience significant affiliate and courtesy stigma, and higher stigma is associated with lower income of the caregivers and lesser time spent in caregiving.