2026 ECNP Congress

PS01-1245

Caregiving responsibilities for children with neuropsychiatric disorders or other long-term illnesses are associated with exhaustion disorder

Caroline Hansson — E. Hadžibajramović, X. Guo, I.H. Jonsdottir · Region Västra Götaland, Institute of Stress Medicine, Göteborg, Sweden

2026 ECNP Congress

Exhaustion disorder (ED) is a stress-induced disorder characterized by physical and mental symptoms of exhaustion, markedly reduced mental energy, memory impairment, sleep disturbance, emotional instability, and intolerance to stress. The diagnostic criteria were established by the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare in 2003, and ED was assigned the code F43.8A in the Swedish version of ICD-10. Although work-related stress is the major contributor to ED, private stressors may also contribute to the disorder. Caring for a family member with a long-term somatic or psychiatric condition is a common contributor to the onset of ED, reported by 28% of the patients [1], and caregiving responsibilities have also been found to hinder recovery from ED [2]. Furthermore, we have found that caring for a child with a chronic disease or psychiatric disorder, including neuropsychiatric disorders, is associated with long-term symptoms of ED [3]. However, these studies are conducted within groups of patients with ED, and it is not yet known whether caregiving responsibilities are more common among patients with ED than in the general population. In the present study, we investigated if caregiving responsibilities for family members with long-term illness are associated with ED. Data were collected through an online questionnaire, collecting self-reported data including ED diagnosis, demographic factors, and caregiving responsibilities. The study population was a national representative sample of the Swedish work force, consisting of 2,014 adults, 18 to 74 years of age, out of which 173 individuals (8.6%) reported having received an ED diagnosis during the last five years, and hence constituted the ED group. In the ED group there were significantly more women (71.1%) than in the no ED group (44.9%) and the ED group was significantly older (mean age 46.2 years, SD 11.1) than the no ED group (mean age 42.3 years, SD 13.9). The associations between caregiving responsibilities and ED were analysed using logistic regression, with ED as the dependent variable and caregiving responsibilities as the independent variable, adjusting for age and sex. We found that caregiving responsibilities for a child with neuropsychiatric disorder (OR (95% CI) = 2.7 (1.6–4.4)) and caregiving responsibilities for a child with other long-term illness (OR (95% CI) = 5.8 (2.6–12.6)) were associated with higher odds of ED, while caregiving responsibilities for a partner with long-term illness (OR (95% CI) = 0.9 (0.3–2.6)), caregiving responsibilities for a parent with long-term illness (OR (95% CI) = 1.3 (0.7–2.4)), and caregiving responsibilities for another close relative with long-term illness (OR (95% CI) = 1.1 (0.4–3.0)) were not associated with ED. Our study indicates that caregiving responsibilities for a child with a neuropsychiatric disorder or other long-term illness are associated with ED. Although our study is cross-sectional and we therefore can’t draw any firm conclusions regarding causality, this study suggests that caring responsibilities for children with special needs may increase the risk of ED.

References

  1. Hasselberg, K., et al., Self-reported stressors among patients with exhaustion disorder: an exploratory study of patient records. BMC Psychiatry, 2014. 14: p. 66.
  2. Aronsson, I., et al., “Recovery activities are needed every step of the way”-exploring the process of long-term recovery in people previously diagnosed with exhaustion disorder. BMC Psychol, 2024. 12(1): p. 248.
  3. Eklof, B., et al., The role of self-reported stressors in recovery from Exhaustion Disorder: a longitudinal study. BMC Psychiatry, 2022. 22(1): p. 529.