Psychopathology in caregivers of the chronically ill: personality and clinical syndromes.

The purpose of this study was to examine the caregivers of the chronically physically ill across personality and clinical psychopathology dimensions. The MCMI-II inventories of 30 caregivers and 28 matched controls were analyzed. Differences between the two groups were found on the clinical scales of anxiety, somatoform, dysthymia, and major depression. This suggests that differences exist between caregivers and non-caregivers on several clinical syndromes including psychosomatic variables. Professional, paraprofessional, and lay hospice support personnel should be aware of these possibilities, actively assess for them, and be prepared to intervene.