The personal experience of carers of stroke survivors: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

The occurrence of a stroke can result in significant traumatic consequences for the stroke survivor and their family. Efforts have tended to concentrate on the stroke survivor, and relatives and friends have been neglected. There have been limited studies concerning the impact upon the family. The present study explores the experiences of members of families who are involved as carers of stroke survivors. In order to facilitate a detailed analysis, this study is concerned with the early caring period-before patients return home.

Four relatives were interviewed about their experiences. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was employed using the data provided by the verbatim transcripts of the interviews.

Three common themes were identified: uncertainty, personal impact, and strength of relationships. This research has discovered a number of valuable findings for this group of carers. An important aspect that has been uncovered is that families experience emotional strain while relatives are still in hospital. Relatives require time to adjust and share with the stroke survivor in their difficulties. This exploration has demonstrated that the same processes of uncertainty can occur for families as well as patients themselves.

This study provides a rich account of the importance that strengths of relationships have for families at this difficult time. It helps expand the current literature on the experiences of relatives of stroke survivors.