Table 2.

Stress burden in caregivers of patients with severe mental illness and patients with cardiac illness (ischemic cardiac disease complicated with chronic heart failure).

Zarit scale	Caregivers of patients with chronic severe mental illness (N = 70)	Caregivers of patients with cardiac illness (N = 70)	Test of significance†	p*
Total score (M ± SD)	46.54 ± 18.27	28.94 ± 13.57	U = 1,098*	<0.001
Distribution according to severity
None (0–20)	10	29	χ2 = 33.9*	<0.001
Mild (21–40)	17	31
Moderate (41–60)	27	7
Severe (61–88)	16	3

^†χ², chi-squared test; U, Mann–Whitney test.

^*Statistically significant at p ≤ 0.05.