Stress and coping in spouses of persons with spinal cord injuries

Chan, Raymond C.K.

doi:10.1191/026921500675826560

Cited by 57 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Generally, it is the wife who carries the burden of care. Chan 13 In this study, it was found that the caregiver spends an average of 11.3 h per day caring for the person with SCI, which reflects an almost complete dedication, and is also responsible for housekeeping tasks and the care of other dependent family members. In Brazil, it is part of the culture to provide total support to relatives with disabilities or with special needs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Health-related quality of life of primary caregivers of persons with paraplegia

2007

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Study Design: A cross-sectional descriptive study was performed with structured questionnaires and interviews conducted with 60 primary caregivers of persons with paraplegia (T1 to S2) owing to traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Objectives: The purpose of this study was the assessment of the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of primary caregivers of persons with paraplegia owing to traumatic SCI. Setting: Sa˜o Paulo, SP, Brazil. Methods: The HRQoL was assessed by the Short Form-36 (SF-36) health survey questionnaire and caregiver burden was evaluated by the Caregiver Burden Scale (CBS). Results: Among 60 caregivers evaluated, 49 (81.7%) were female, with mean age of 35.8 (SD ¼ 12.91) years, 16 (26.6%) being wives and 14 (23.4%) sisters of persons with paraplegia. It was found that the caregivers spend an average of 11.3 h/day caring for individuals with paraplegia. Twenty-three caregivers (38.3%) had a chronic disease and 32 (53.3%) were sole caregivers taking upon themselves the full responsibility of caring for the persons with paraplegia. The subjects reported lower scores on bodily pain and vitality than the other dimensions of the SF-36. The mean global CBS score was 1.71 (SD ¼ 0.50) and mean scores for each dimension ranged from 1.39 (SD ¼ 0.64) for emotional involvement to 2.44 (SD ¼ 0.79) for environment dimension. Conclusion: The primary caregivers of spinal cord-injured persons reported low scores on all of the SF-36 and CBS dimensions, bodily pain and vitality being the SF-36 dimensions that received the lowest scores. Sponsorship: Funding was provided by the Brazilian research agency CAPES.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Health-related quality of life of primary caregivers of persons with paraplegia

2007

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“…Assistance of other family members' towards caregiving chores has been reported in minority ethnic groups and other cultures. 4,12,26,27 Although paid care support is a common feature in Western countries, 19,28 it is almost non-existent in a developing country like Fiji. Thus, the gap in the continuation of care is most likely filled by others present around these individuals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2 The effects of SCI are catastrophic not only to the once active, independent person but also to the family and the society as a whole. 3 With advances in the medical and rehabilitation services, the life expectancy of persons with SCI has markedly increased, and in many cases it has approached that of the general population, [3][4][5] requiring varied levels of assistance over their lifespan. 5 With a change in the health-care system, early discharge towards community living settings has increased the responsibilities of informal family caregivers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[8][9][10] Caregiving has been associated with constraints in the social, vocational, and recreational opportunities of the caregivers. 11,12 Low levels of life satisfaction and marital adjustment, 4 ill-health and poor quality of life in caregivers has also been reported. 2,6 Much of the available research on caregivers of SCI persons is mainly from developed countries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Psychological impact and the burden of caregiving for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) living in the community in Fiji

Gajraj-Singh

2011

Spinal Cord

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Study design: This study was designed as a cross-sectional one. A set of structured questionnaires was administered. Objectives: The purpose of the study was to explore the psychological response of the caregivers of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to assess the burden of caregiving for SCI persons living in the community in Fiji. Setting: Fiji, South Pacific. Methods: A total of 30 primary caregivers of persons with SCI. The Index of Psychological Well-Being (IPWB) was used to assess the psychological impact of care giving, and Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) was used to evaluate the burden associated with caregiving for persons with SCI. Barthel Index (BI) scale was used to measure the functional abilities of the care recipients. Results: The majority of the participants (n ¼ 20) were women, who had an ethnic Fijian background (n ¼ 18) and were married (n ¼ 18), and were spouses (n ¼ 13). Mean BI of the persons with SCI was 7.1 (s.d. ¼ 5.23) on a 0-20 scale, with 90% (n ¼ 27) suffering from moderate-to-very severe disability (BIo15). The mean duration of caregiving was 6.1 years (s.d. ¼ 4.23). On average, the caregivers provided 6.1 h (s.d. ¼ 2.19) of caregiving per day. The experiences of caregiving adversely affected the caregiver psychological well-being. Participants demonstrated high levels of time-dependent and development burden. Caregiving was significantly related to the number of hours spent providing care (r s ¼ 0.35, Po0.05), and the older caregiver age (r s ¼ 0.46, Po0.01). Conclusion: Being a primary caregiver of a SCI person contributes to caregiver burden and psychological distress. The findings indicate that the contributions of these people should be recognized and interventions should be tailored not only toward the needs of the care recipients but also to the needs of the caregivers.

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“…13 Several studies have shown negative effects of giving support on the quality of life of the caregivers of persons with SCI. 11,[14][15][16][17][18][19] Weitzenkamp et al studied stress and depression in 124 spouses of persons with SCI that had been injured more than 23 years ago. Spouses who were caregivers reported higher levels of stress, burnout, fatigue, resentment and depression compared to spouses who were not caregivers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Burden of support for partners of persons with spinal cord injuries

Post

Bloemen

Witte³

2005

Spinal Cord

111

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Study design: Cross-sectional survey. Objectives: (1) To describe the support given to persons with spinal cord injuries (SCI) by their partners, (2) to describe the perceived burden of support by partners and (3) to examine predictors of perceived burden of support. Setting: The Netherlands. Methods: All members of the Dutch patients organisation DON (N ¼ 1004) and their caregivers, if applicable, were invited. Physical disability of the person with SCI was measured using the Barthel Index (BI). A number of secondary conditions, other practical problems and psychosocial problems were recorded. Partner support was described using a list of ADLsupport, other practical support and emotional support. Burden of support was measured by a six-item measure (Cronbach's alpha 0.92), Nonparametric descriptive statistics and correlations were used. Linear regression was used to identify predictors of caregiver burden. Results: Responses were obtained from 461 persons with SCI. Of 265 couples, patient as well as partner data were available. Mean age of the partners was 49.4 years (SD 12.2) and 69.8% were women. Mean BI of the persons with SCI was12.3 (SD 4.7) on a 0-20 scale and 60.4% were seriously disabled (BIo15). Most partners provided various kinds of support. ADLsupport and other practical support were given much more often by partners of persons with serious disability, but less difference was seen regarding emotional support. Professional (paid) support was obtained by 45.3% of all couples. Perceived burden of support was high in 24.8% of partners of persons with serious disabilities against 3.9% of partners of persons with minor disabilities. Significant predictors of caregiver burden were (in order of importance) the amount of ADL support given, psychological problems of the patient, partner age, partner gender, BI score and time after injury (total explained variance 47%). Conclusion: A substantial proportion of partners of persons with SCI suffer from serious burden of support. Prevention of caregiver burnout should be part of the lifelong care for persons with SCI.

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Stress and coping in spouses of persons with spinal cord injuries

Cited by 57 publications

References 17 publications

Health-related quality of life of primary caregivers of persons with paraplegia

Health-related quality of life of primary caregivers of persons with paraplegia

Psychological impact and the burden of caregiving for persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) living in the community in Fiji

Burden of support for partners of persons with spinal cord injuries

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