Female Caregivers and Stroke Severity Determines Caregiver Stress in Stroke Patients

Stroke is among the major causes of short- and long-term disability. This study aimed to understand the caregivers (CGs) stress in stroke survivors.

A 22-item questionnaire was administered to 201 CGs of stroke survivors. The variables tested were physical and mental health, social support, financial, and personal problems. CGs were divided into Group A (Barthel index [BI] <75) and B (BI >75) according to patient's BI, according to gender (male and female CG) and relation; spouses (wife, husband), daughters, sons, daughter-in-law, grandchildren, and rest (father, mother, brother, sister, and in-laws). Data were analyzed using SPSS software version-21. Data were analyzed to determine which variables of the patient effects the CG stress.

Majority of the CGs (74.62%) were females. 65% of CGs graded their burden as moderate to severe. 81% of CGs had left their work for caregiving. More than half of the CGs felt sleep disturbance and physical strain. Psychological instability and financial burdens were reported in 3/4^th of CGs. Group A CGs faced more sleep, financial, health, and social life disturbance. Patient's bladder and bowel problems, shoulder pain, patients noncooperative attitude for medication administration, and physiotherapy were more upsetting for Group A CGs. Female CGs were subjected to more sleep disturbance, physical and psychological stress, faced more difficulty regarding the patient's bladder, bowel, personal hygiene needs, and physiotherapy. Female CGs felt less motivated in caregiving than male CGs. Wives and daughters-in-law experienced more burden. Time spent and burden perceived was more by female CGs (χ² = 15.199, P = 0.002) than males (χ² = 11.931, P = 0.018); wives and daughters than other relations (χ² = 32.184, P = 0.000), (χ² = 35.162, P = 0.019).

Our study showed that caregiving burden was predominantly shouldered by females CGs. CGs faced physical, psychological, and socioeconomic burden. The burden was more evident in female CGs and in patients with severe stroke.