Relationship Between General Health and Demographic Characteristics of Family Caregivers of Stroke Survivors

Abstract

Objectives Caregiving of stroke survivors leads to several physiopsychlogical problems for family caregiver due to excessive demand by the stroke survivors. The aim of this study was to determine general health of the caregivers of stroke survivors and their relationship with demographic factors. Methods & Materials This was a cross-sectional study in which 60 caregivers of stroke survivors were selected by convenience sampling from Sina and Firouzgar Hospitals in Tehran province in Iran, in 2015. The data was collected by two questionnaires including demographic questionnaire and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). The collected data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics including mean and standard deviation using SPSS software (version 15). Results The mean GHQ score was 61.41±14.9; in female caregiver, it was 63.07±16.09, and in male caregiver, the score was 58.33±12.28. Significant correlation found between overall GHQ score and either of the factors such as occupational status, age category, or type of caring (P=0.01). Unemployment in caregiver, aging, and 24-hour caring of stroke survivors were related to a reduction in GHQ score. However, there was no significant association between GHQ of stroke caregivers and either of the factors such as sex (P=0.35), time of caring (0.24), marital status (P=0.71), or educational status. Conclusion This study showed that family caregivers of stroke survivors experience deterioration of general health at different dimensions. Therefore, it is recommended that planning for general health and social support for caregivers should be done through policy making in health and treatment. A B S T R A C T Key words:General health, stroke survivors, Family caregivers, Demographic characteristic Objectivesaring for stroke survivors, due to their excessive demands, may create or exacerbate several physical and mental C conditions for family caregivers. Therefore, the present study aims to determine the mean and standard deviation of the general health of family caregivers of stroke survivors and its subscales by men and women, as well as the relationship between the mean rate of general health or its subscales and demographic characteristics of family caregivers of a stroke survivor. Based on the findings, the factors related to the general health of the caregivers of stroke survivors can be identified. Thus, the authorities of this area can take necessary steps to control the side effects of neglecting the general health of caregivers of stroke survivors, which can affect the different dimensions of their lives. Methods & MaterialsA descriptive-analytical study was carried out by available sampling method on 60 family caregivers of stroke survivors referred to the outpatient clinics of Sina and Firoozgar Hospitals in 2015. Participants were the family caregivers aged at least 15 years and the stroke survivors aged over 50 years with 6 months after their stroke. The caregiver must not care any other patient than the stroke survivor. The data collection tool in th...

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