To assess family caregiver burden and associated factors among caregivers of people with mental illness in Eastern Ethiopia.

Cross-sectional study.

Three hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia.

A total of 422 family caregivers of people with mental illness were recruited using systematic random sampling, of whom 417 participated (response rate 98.8%).

Caregiver burden was assessed using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI-22). Linear regression was used to measure the associations between dependent and independent variables.

The mean score of the ZBI was 47.971 (SD=14.539). In our study, factors associated with caregiver burden included age of caregivers (β=0.143, p=0.006), sex of the caregiver (β=0.121, p=0.007), time spent in providing care (β=0.194, p=0.006), presence of comorbid medical illness (β=0.309, p0.001), substance use in the last 12 months (β=0.265, p=0.024), perceived stigma (β=0.207, p

89 (22.2%) of caregivers reported severe burden and 220 (52.8%) reported moderate-to-severe burden. Family caregivers play a critical role in the treatment of mental illness; there is a need to establish family caregiver support services, such as group therapy and psychoeducation.