Perceived Social Support Mediating Caregiver Burden and Mental Health in Schizophrenia Caregivers

Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic mental disorder that imposes a substantial burden on family members, and this burden is strongly correlated with caregivers' increased levels of anxiety and depression. Conversely, perceived social support functions as a critical coping resource, thereby effectively moderating stress and facilitating better psychological adjustment. This quantitative study tested the mediating hypothesis that perceived social support accounts for the relationship between caregiver burden and these negative psychological outcomes. This study adopted a cross-sectional design and convenience sampling to recruit 393 patients with schizophrenia and their primary family caregivers in China. The data collected included demographic information, caregiver burden, anxiety and depression, and perceived social support levels. Statistical analyses included ANOVA, correlation analysis, and hierarchical regression analysis. The results showed that caregiver burden was positively correlated with both anxiety and depression, and that perceived social support played a partial mediating role in this relationship. The mediating effect of perceived social support was particularly strong in mitigating the association between burden and depression. The findings indicate that perceived social support is vital in alleviating psychological distress among these caregivers, suggesting that targeted interventions focusing on strengthening social support networks can effectively improve the mental health status of family caregivers of patients with schizophrenia.