African American Wives and Perceived Stressful Experiences: Providing Care for Stroke Survivor Spouses

This research used a quantitative design to explore perceived stress experiences of African American wives in the care of spouses who are stroke survivors. The wives as caregivers (44.7%) were participants from rural communities in the southeastern region of North Carolina. These wives, although many had employment outside of the home, provided duties including activities of daily living (ADL) and all other domestic tasks. They were forced into the caregiving role, although many were often not prepared, and experienced much stress related to a lack of knowledge, training and minimum assistance from other family members. A nursing implication must include extensive discharge planning with an emphasis on education and training prior to discharge. More research in reference to African American wives as caregivers is needed to provide an adequate knowledge base in not only caring for their spouses, but also themselves.