Emotional distress among caregivers of patients with epilepsy in Katsina State, Northern Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE Caregivers of patients with epilepsy experience onsiderable emotional distress. The study aimed to assess the magnitude of the problem in a developing country. METHOD A total 166 patients-caregivers were enrolled for the study. They were interviewed using a socio-demographic data collecting sheet and the Hospital Anxiety-Depression Scale (HADS). Data obtained were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences Windows version 13. All statistical tests were carried out at a 5% level of probability. RESULTS The mean age of the caregivers was 45.44 ± 6.67 years. Emotional distress was found among 109(65.7%) of the caregivers. This is was significantly associated with male gender of both care giver and patient as well as residing in a rural area. CONCLUSION The study demonstrated a high level of emotional distress associated with caring for patients with epilepsy, which is comparable to other studies carried out in other parts of the world.