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Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Translated Title

中風病人之非正式照顧者的社會支持狀態

Abstract

Objective: Informal caregivers play an important role in post-stroke care. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the social support status over an 18-month duration; the relationship between health status and social support level; and the predictors of low social support status in informal caregivers of stroke patients. Methods: We recruited eligible inpatients with first-ever ischemic stroke and their informal caregivers from a tertiary referral teaching hospital. The social support rating scale (SSRS) of the caregivers was determined at 3, 16, and 18 months after stroke onset. Beck depression inventory (BDI) as well as the physical and mental composite score (PCS and MCS) of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) of caregivers were assessed at 18 months after stroke onset. Results: A total of 45 stroke survivors (men, 25; women, 20) and their caregivers (men, 14; women, 31) completed all the interviews. The SSRS score was 66.56±9.14, 66.47±9.17, and 59.00±11.62 at 3, 6, and 18 months after stroke onset, respectively, and the score at 18 months was significantly lower than that at 3 and 6 months after stroke onset(p＜0.001). The SSRS score showed a significant negative correlation with BDI (r=-0.570; p＜0.05) and positive correlation with PCS (r=0.5, p＜0.001) and MCS (r=0.494, p=0.001) of the SF-36 at 18 months after stroke onset. Regression analysis indicated that informal caregivers with a lower education level, caring for stroke patients with worse cognitive function, and the lack of help from a foreign caregiver were predictors of a poor social support status at 18 months after stroke onset (p=0.014, R2=0.380). Conclusions: The social support status of informal caregivers of stroke patients significantly declined at the chronic stage after stroke onset, and was associated with depression and the quality of life of informal caregivers. The social support system should be reinforced among caregivers with a lower education level, those caring for patients with worse cognition, and those lacking the assistance of a foreign caregiver.

Language

Traditional Chinese

First Page

141

Last Page

147

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