Self-perceived Burden in the Young and Middle-aged Inpatients with Stroke: A Cross-sectional Survey

The aims of this study are to explore the prevalence and the features of self-perceived burden (SPB) in the young and middle-aged inpatients with stroke and to identify predictors of SPB.

A cross-sectional survey.

One hundred fifty-five patients were recruited from the Neural Medical and Neural Comprehensive wards of a comprehensive hospital in Chengdu city from January to April 2013. Data consisted of survey interviews, medical records, and a series of questionnaires a week after the patients' hospitalization. Relevant statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 16.0.

We found SPB was a prevalent experience among young and middle-aged inpatients with stroke. The exploratory analyses (independent samples t tests or one-way ANOVAs) indicated that significant influencing factors of SPB were marital status, self-care ability, caregivers' health, knowledge of the illness, and monthly income. Moreover, patients' SPB scores were positively and significantly correlated with anxiety and depression, but they were negatively and significantly associated with social support and quality of life. A multiple stepwise regression analysis revealed that social support score and knowledge of the illness significantly predicted SPB.

The present study indicates that SPB is a prevalent inner feeling among young and middle-aged inpatients with stroke in China and that it is associated with an array of variables, including social support, quality of life, distressful mood, and several demographic characteristics.

The findings of this study may help rehabilitation nurses plan and implement health education, effectively and efficiently use healthcare resources, so as to better care the young and middle-aged stroke patients as well as promote their rehabilitation.