Home-based psychoeducational and mailed information programs for stroke-caregiving dyads post-discharge: a randomized...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Psychology

Background:

• Stroke impacts both survivors and spousal caregivers, necessitating support during the transition from hospital to home.
• Dyads often experience decreased relationship mutuality and social support post-discharge.
• Effective interventions are crucial for managing the long-term effects of stroke on survivors and their families.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the 6- and 12-month outcomes of a home-based psychoeducational program versus mailed information for stroke survivors (SS) and spousal caregivers (CG).
• To evaluate the effectiveness of different informational delivery methods on dyad well-being and functioning.

Main Methods:

• A randomized trial involving 159 stroke survivor-caregiver dyads post-rehabilitation.
• One group received mailed information for 12 months; the other received 36.7 hours of home-based psychoeducation over 6 months.
• Repeated measures analysis using linear mixed models assessed changes in health status, depression, stress, burden, coping, support, mutuality, and function.

Main Results:

• Both groups showed reduced depression and stress over time.
• The home-based group had significantly improved self-reported health and cognitive function in SS, and improved health and coping in CG, compared to the mailed group.
• Mutuality and social support declined in both intervention groups.

Conclusions:

• Home-based psychoeducation effectively enhanced self-reported health, caregiver coping, and survivor cognitive function.
• Personalized, repeated mailed information also yielded positive changes, reducing depression and stress in dyads.
• Multicomponent strategies, including education, support, and community linkages, are recommended for comprehensive stroke care.