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Caregivers' effects of augmented cognitive-behavioural therapy for post-stroke depressive symptoms in patients:
Joyce A Kootker1, Caroline M van Heugten2,3, Bart Kral4
11 Department of Rehabilitation, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Objective:
To investigate the concomitant effects of two patient-directed interventions for post-stroke depressive symptoms on caregivers' well-being.
Design:
Secondary analyses of the results of a randomized controlled trial.
Subjects:
Fifty caregivers of stroke patients receiving outpatient rehabilitation.
Interventions:
Stroke patients and their caregivers were randomly allocated to either cognitive-behavioural therapy augmented with movement or occupational therapy ( n = 23) or computerized cognitive training ( n = 27) to alleviate depressive symptoms in patients.
Main Measures:
Emotional burden (Involvement Evaluation Questionnaire), practical burden (Caregiver Strain Index), mental health (General Health Questionnaire) and emotional complaints (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale).
Results:
Caregivers of patients who received cognitive-behavioural therapy reported significantly higher mental health levels (mean difference (MD) = 1.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.43-3.13, P = 0.01) and less worrying about patients' well-being (MD = 1.9, 95% CI = 0.56-3.24, P < 0.01). In addition, there were positive time effects on the Involvement Evaluation Questionnaire for Brain Injury, particularly the subscales Worrying, Supervision and Tension.
Conclusion:
The results suggest that augmented cognitive-behavioural therapy aimed at improving patients' emotional, behavioural and social functioning positively affects some aspects of caregivers' well-being.
