Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35733174›Full record

SynthesisBMC psychiatry2022

A systematic review comparing caregiver burden and psychological functioning in caregivers of individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and bipolar disorders.

George J Karambelas, Kate Filia, Linda K Byrne, Kelly A Allott, Anuradhi Jayasinghe, Sue M Cotton

Open access · goldAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC psychiatry, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
34citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
14.0field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

34 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 75 citations in OpenAlex.

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  7. Caregiver burden in forensic mental health settings: social impacts on caregivers of individuals with severe mental disorders.Psychiatry, psychology, and law : an interdisciplinary journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Psychiatry, Psychology and Law · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

George J KarambelasOrygen, 35 Poplar Road, Melbourne, Victoria, 3052, Australia. gkarambelas@deakin.edu.au.
Kate FiliaOrygen, 35 Poplar Road, Melbourne, Victoria, 3052, Australia.
Linda K ByrneSchool of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Kelly A AllottOrygen, 35 Poplar Road, Melbourne, Victoria, 3052, Australia.
Anuradhi JayasingheSchool of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Sue M CottonOrygen, 35 Poplar Road, Melbourne, Victoria, 3052, Australia.
Deakin University · AUOrygen · AUUniversity of Melbourne · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInformal primary caregivers provide crucial supports to loved ones experiencing serious mental illnesses with profound outcomes for the caregivers themselves. A comprehensive understanding of how different serious mental illnesses change the caregiving experience may provide important insight into the ways in which caregivers can be better supported in their role. The aim of this review was to synthesize the comparative literature examining caregiver burden and psychological functioning (anxiety, depression, distress, and psychological wellbeing) between caregivers of people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and bipolar disorder.

methodsStudies were included if they compared caregivers across both diagnostic groups and used measures assessing either caregiver burden or psychological functioning of caregivers. Databases searched up until 11th of January 2022 included: Medline COMPLETE, Embase, PsycINFO and CINAHL. Reference list scans and grey literature searches across government, organisational and dissertation databases were also conducted.

resultsTwenty-eight studies comprising 6166 caregivers were included. Fourteen studies suggested that caregiving burden was comparable across both groups. The effects of caring on caregiver mental health and stress were comparable across both groups. However, methodological limitations were noted, including a reliance on cross-sectional studies, multiple and sometimes competing definitions of caregiving burden, variable sample sizes, and variation in measures used. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The experience of providing care is multidimensional and complex. Symptoms and functional difficulties experienced by people being cared for may affect caregivers more so than diagnosis. Caregivers play a vital role in helping people with serious mental illness. Supporting caregivers by reducing their burden and improving their psychological functioning may help them to continue to provide support, and cope with, the challenges of providing care.

Indexed as

Bipolar DisorderSchizophreniaAdaptation, PsychologicalCaregiver BurdenCaregiversCost of IllnessCross-Sectional StudiesHumansStress, PsychologicalBipolar disorderCaregiverCaregiver burdenMental healthSchizophrenia Spectrum disorders

Identifiers

PMID35733174
PMCPMC9219207
OpenAlexW4283321384

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.