17

Study of Burden in Parents of Children with Mental Retardation

Education

Family type

Illiterate
< Secondary
> Secondary
Joint
Nuclear

20(40%)
22(44%)
8(16%)
20(40%)
30(60%)

1(2%)
28(56%)
21(42%)
27(54%)
23(46%)

Table 2: Significance of Mean Difference in Study Group and

Control Group on family burden scale
Variables

Study Group
(N=50)

Control group

(N=50)

(Mean SD)

(Mean SD)

Financial burden

6.741.68

0.68.51

24.290

Financial burden

6.741.68

0.68.51

24.290*

Disruption of Routine family Activity 2.48.88

0.30.46

15.418*

Effect on Physical health of others

2.42.94

0.58.49

12.132*

Effect on mental health of others

7.801.86

0.10.30

28.852*

Disruption of family leisure

7.861.88

0.14.35

28.478*

Disruption of family Interaction

2.561.12

0.22.41

13.755*

Subjective burden

4.881.27

0.16.37

25.193*

Total

31.806.46

2.181.24

31.802*

*p < .01

Mental health professionals are the front line for treating team but role of
caregivers cannot be ignored who continuously engaged in informal care of the
sufferer. This informal care is the unpaid provision of care to a dependent person
by family members or friends, has been considered the backbone of any longterm care system (Colombo, Llena-Nozal, Mercier, &Tjadens, 2011). A caregiver
provides physical and psychological support for a family member or friend, beyond
what is typical of their relationship (Bridges, 1995). This has now been
demonstrated that family members face financial problems, difficulty enjoying
leisure activities, and various degree of distress while trying to understand the
behaviour of patients living at home (Chieko, Shinji, Tomoko, Ryoji, Yasuo Fujii,
Fumio, Toshinori 2002). It is well established that high degree of burden is
associated with female, old age, low educational level, without employment and
who are taking care of younger patients (Caqueourizar et al,2006). The purpose
of the present study was to compare Family burden in parents of children with
mental retardation (MR) and healthy controls. With a movement away from the
institutional care and towards the home based care of persons with MR, it is the
family that bears the brunt in caring for their disabled relative(Farber, 1959).A
combination of factors appears to predict the likelihood of burden experienced
Journal of Indian Health Psychology