Brain injury - the perceived health of carers

This paper explores the perceived health and reported level of strain in the primary carers of severely brain injured individuals, 15 - 18 months after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation.

Seventy carers took part in a prospective descriptive study utilizing a semistructured interview and standardized measures including the SF36, The Carer Strain Index and the Relative Questionnaire. Functional consequences for the injured person were also assessed.

The SF36 demonstrated a trend towards lower perceived health for carers than that reported in the general population. Neither perceived health status nor level of strain differed significantly according to the type of injury sustained (haemorrhagic or traumatic) nor initial severity of injury. Factors that contributed to carers having worse health status included the injured person's level of disability and interpersonal factors such as the nature of the relationship, with spouses having lower perceived health status than parents.

Irrespective of cause of injury, generalised health consequences result for the carers of those with disabling consequences of brain injury. Factors independent of the injured individual themselves (such as the nature of the relationship to the carer) need to be taken into consideration when exploring wellbeing of carers and planning services.