Psychological Resilience and Quality of Life Among Caregivers of Patients With Schizophrenia

The study population comprises primary informal family caregivers (parents, spouses, siblings, or adult offspring) of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia receiving inpatient or outpatient psychiatric care at Assiut University Hospital in Assiut, Egypt. A matched comparison group includes family caregivers of healthy individuals residing in the same geographic community who have no current or previous personal or family history of schizophrenia or other major psychiatric disorders. Control subjects are matched by age, sex, marital status, educational level, and socioeconomic status.

Inclusion Criteria:

Case Group (Caregivers of Patients with Schizophrenia):

• Primary informal caregiver defined as an immediate family member (parent, spouse, sibling, or adult child) providing unpaid physical, emotional, or financial assistance.
• Continuous co-residence with the patient for a minimum duration of 6 months prior to enrollment.
• Caring for an individual with an established clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia confirmed by a psychiatrist according to DSM-5 or ICD-11 criteria.
• Caregiver age between 18 and 65 years.
• Both male and female caregivers.
• Cognitive and functional ability to comprehend study instruments and complete clinical rating scales during face-to-face interviews.
• Willingness to provide voluntary written informed consent.

Control Group:

• Family caregivers of healthy individuals with no current or past history of schizophrenia or other major psychiatric disorders.
• Matched to the case group by age, sex, marital status, educational level, and socioeconomic status.
• Willingness to provide voluntary written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Refusal or inability of the caregiver to provide written informed consent.
• Documented history of major primary psychiatric disorders (e.g., bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, organic psychosis) or severe neurological illness diagnosed prior to assuming the caregiving role.
• Concurrently providing care for another family member suffering from a severe chronic physical disability, terminal illness, or neurodegenerative disease.
• Presence of active substance use disorders, severe cognitive impairment, or intellectual disability that impedes reliable questionnaire completion.