Assessing Stroke Caregivers' Preparedness and Associated Factors for Patients' Transition From Hospital to Home

Stroke not only affects stroke survivors but also places considerable demands on family caregivers. Inadequate preparedness to provide care may contribute to caregiver burden and challenges during the transition from hospital to home.

This study is aimed at assessing caregiver preparedness and identify factors associated with preparedness among family caregivers of stroke survivors during the transition from hospital to home.

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 132 family caregivers of stroke survivors in two hospitals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Preparedness for Caregiving Scale (PCS), and the 12-item Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI-12). Normality was assessed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests. Nonparametric analyses and multiple linear regression were performed.

More than half of the caregivers (57.6%) reported low preparedness, whereas 51.5% experienced high caregiver burden. The median PCS score was 16.0 (IQR = 12), and the median caregiver burden score was 21.0 (IQR = 15). Preparedness was positively associated with stroke onset duration (ρ = 0.832, p < 0.001) and negatively associated with caregiver burden (ρ = -0.812, p < 0.001). Female caregivers reported higher preparedness scores than male caregivers (p < 0.001). Multiple linear regression demonstrated that stroke onset duration, caregiver burden, and caregiver gender were independent predictors of preparedness.

Family caregivers of stroke survivors frequently experience low preparedness and high caregiver burden during the transition from hospital to home. Early assessment of caregiver preparedness and burden may facilitate targeted interventions to support caregivers during the post-stroke transition period.