A cross-sectional study on family burden and psychological distress among caregivers of individuals with alcohol use disorder in Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu

Background: Harmful use of alcohol poses a major risk for infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, violence, homicides, poisonings, traffic injuries, and mental health disorders. In the case of any mental or behavioral disorder, families and caregivers suffer the most. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess the family burden and psychological distress in the caregiver distress of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and to examine the association between the severity of alcohol dependence and caregiver distress. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study conducted in the psychiatry department of a tertiary care medical college hospital involving 100 patients with AUD and their primary caregivers. Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire was administered to patients, while the General Health Questionnaire-12 and Family Burden Interview Schedule were administered to caregivers. Data were entered and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 16 software. Results: The mean age of the patients was 46.13±10.95 years, and that of caregivers was 42.03±10.03 years. About 48% of patients had mild alcohol dependence, 44% had moderate dependence, and 8% had severe dependence. Among caregivers, 87% reported psychological distress, 94% experienced objective family burden, and 100% reported subjective burden. Higher severity of alcohol dependence was significantly associated with greater objective family burden and caregiver psychological distress. Severity of alcohol dependence showed strong positive correlations with caregiver psychological distress and family burden, a moderate correlation with subjective burden. No significant differences were observed between spouse and non-spouse caregivers. Conclusion: Caregivers of AUD patients experience a high level of family burden and significant psychological distress, and also increasing alcohol dependence severity adversely impacts caregiver well-being. Integrating caregiver support strategies into deaddiction services will be beneficial.