Quality of Life and Its Associated Factors among Mental Patient's Families

Mental patient’s family usually experience emotional stress، depression، anxiety and social relationship problems by accepting the caring responsibility for their patient that could effect on their quality of life. So present study was conducted with the aim of determining the quality of life and its associated factors in families of mental patients` in Rasht. This cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted on 242 families (first degree relatives) of mental patients referring to Shafa psychiatric center of Rasht by convenience sampling method during 2013. Data were gathered by interview and using 2-part tool consisting European Quality of Life Scale (EQLS) including quality of life questionnaire and combined questionnaire for social isolation. Higher score in these questionnaires were indicated poor quality of life. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive and analytic statistics (Pearson correlation coefficient، ANOVA، t test and logistic regression model، back ward) in SPSS (v. 19). The sample contained 152 female (62. 8%) and 90 male (37. 2%) and 92 persons (38%) were in the age group of 40-55 years. Mean and standard deviation of total quality of life score was 52. 4 ± 4. 4 (with the range of 0-63). There was a significant relationship between poor quality of life and female sex (p=0. 001)، also between housekeeper job (p=0. 003) and higher social isolation (p=0. 02). Finally، regression test showed that female gender with 34. 5 percent variance can predict the sample’s quality of life. Poor quality of life in females indicates the need for more attention on therapeutic-caring interventions and social supports to improve the well-being of this care giving group.