A Longitudinal Study of Health-Related Quality of Life of First Stroke Survivors’ Close Relatives

Abstract

Background and Purpose:Mental and social burdens of stroke patients’ relatives have been investigated repeatedly, but there is little information about their quality of life (QoL). The purpose of the study was to describe the health-related QoL of stroke patients’ relatives at 3 points in time after the stroke. Method: Sixty-four closest relatives of patients suffering from a disabling stroke were questioned at admission to inpatient rehabilitation as well as 6 months and 1 year after discharge with the SF36 (short form 36-item questionnaire) and about probable covariates. Results: During inpatient rehabilitation relatives’ perception of their physical role as well as of all mental health scales was significantly lower than the normative data. We found improvements in all scales except physical functioning between inpatient rehabilitation and 6 months after discharge. Deteriorations between 6 months and 1 year occurred in physical functioning, role physical, social functioning, role emotional and mental health. Conclusions: Changes in perceived health-related QoL indicate that relatives go through different stages while coping with the chronic illness of their family member during rehabilitation and in the first year after discharge. These findings may aid support and counseling.

Psychosocial Functioning of Spouses of Patients With Stroke From Initial Inpatient Rehabilitation to 3 Years Poststroke

“…2 In these stages, the patients' future disability is uncertain, and uncertainty and anxiety are powerful stressors. 1,9 The patients' depressive symptoms usually decrease over time. 2 However, as has also been found by others, 4,11 our results suggest that spouses' depressive symptoms take a different course.…”

“…Whereas some of these studies found a decrease in caregiver burden and depression over the first year after stroke, 1,4,5 others found stable stress levels 6 -8 or deterioration of caregiver quality of life between 6 months after discharge from inpatient rehabilitation and 1 year poststroke. 9 Although a chronic stressor may also have a delayed effect on quality of life, few studies 2,10 -12 have addressed changes in the caregiving experience beyond the first year after stroke. These studies found little change over time in burden, depressive symptoms, and quality of life.…”

Quality of life and its correlates in caregivers of stroke survivors from a Nigerian population

“…Changes have been reported over the post-stroke course in the perceived health-related quality of life of carers [18] suggesting that carers go through different stages while coping with the chronic illness of their family members [19]. This may explain why the reduced caregivers' QOL reported in the immediate post-stroke period [20] may be sustained at 3 months [5] or may improve or reduced within two years depending on the degree of disability and the presence or absence of communicative problems in the stroke survivor [14,21].…”

The Impact of Stroke on Unpaid Caregivers: Results from the Auckland Regional Community Stroke Study, 2002–2003

“…There is growing awareness of the negative physical and emotional consequences of providing informal, unpaid care for survivors of stroke [1,2,3,4]. Informal carers are usually family members (spouse, partner or child) who are often propelled into the caring role due to the sudden and unexpected nature of stroke and family obligation.…”