To evaluate the subjective impact on quality of life and burden of caregivers of chronic psychotic patients and correlate with the impact that the type of patient’s symptoms according to PANSS (negative, positive, mixed or none).

We used the Caregiver's Burden scale to measure quality of life and subjective burden of caregivers of chronic psychotic patients followed up by the Psychotic Disorders Clinic of the Hospital Mental Health Messejana, in Fortaleza, Ceará, and the PANSS for the patients of the relatated caregiver. Then we correlated the data in order to observe whether the patient’s symptoms interfere with the quality of life and the burden of the caregivers.

We observed that most caregivers were women, mothers of patients who had incomplete primary schooling, married, with incomes between one and two minimum wages. In most cases also with incomplete primary degree and mean disease duration was 16.51 (± 9.64) years. We found that higher scores on scales of positive and PANSS general psychopathology in the patient, the worse the quality of life and caregiver burden. In this sample, negative symptoms measured by the PANSS negative scale does not seem to interfere with quality of life and caregiver burden.OuvirLer foneticamente Dicionário - Ver dicionário detalhado

Demographic data did not affect the quality of life of caregivers; the main factors that contributed to a poorer quality of life and caregiver's burden were high scores in positive and general psychopathology of PANSS.