Caregiver Burden and Emotion Regulation Among Spouses of Individuals with Schizophrenia: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Caregiving for individuals with schizophrenia often affects spousal well-being, making adaptive emotion regulation strategies crucial. The study examined the relationship between emotion regulation strategies and family burden dimensions among spousal caregivers of people with schizophrenia, while also identifying gender differences. Methods: Using a cross-sectional correlational research design, data were collected from a purposive sample of 72 spousal caregivers (38 males and 34 females) of individuals with schizophrenia. We analyzed the data using bivariate correlations, multiple regression, and independent-samples t-tests. Results: Expressive suppression correlated positively with leisure-related burden ( r = 0.30, p < .05). Conversely, cognitive reappraisal correlated negatively with leisure-related burden ( r = −0.29, p < .05) and financial burden ( r = −0.27, p < .05). Regression analysis revealed that after controlling socio-demographic variables, emotion regulation strategies did not significantly predict caregiver burden, Δ R 2 = 0.07, F (2, 62) = 2.83, p > .05. Expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal ( r = −0.25, p < .05) were negatively correlated. A significant gender difference emerged: female spouses reported higher expressive suppression than male spouses, t (70) = −2.17, p < .05, with no significant difference in cognitive reappraisal. Results of family burden dimensions revealed that female caregivers reported significantly higher total spousal burden ( t (70) = −2.66, p < .05, d = −0.63), financial burden ( t (70) = −3.44, p < .05), and routine activity disruption ( t (70) = −2.51, p < .05). Conclusions: Female spouses reported higher caregiver burden and use of expressive suppression than their male counterparts. These findings highlight the need for gender-sensitive interventions, cognitive reappraisal training, and interpersonal counseling to mitigate spousal caregiver burden.