Original articleFactors Affecting the Burden on Caregivers of Stroke Survivors in South Korea
Section snippets
Methods
From the stroke registry of Asan Medical Center, we randomly chose 340 stroke patients admitted between January 1994 and December 1998. All the patients underwent computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging to confirm the presence of stroke. We excluded stroke patients who had transient ischemic attack without progression to stroke; those who had severe heart, liver, or renal diseases that may exert additional burden on caregivers; and those with a history of depression before their
Characteristics of patients and caregivers
Among 340 patients, 117 (34.4%) could not be reached by telephone. Among the remaining 223 patients, 45 (20.2%) had died, 18 (8.1%) did not give consent, and 6 (2.7%) had had a subsequent stroke, yielding 154 patients. An interview with the caregiver was performed in 147 cases (45 at the patient’s house, 102 in our outpatient clinic). The MRS score at the time of discharge differed between the patients who were reached via phone and included in the interview (mild in 81%) and those who were not
Discussion
For assessment of caregiver strain, previous studies have used either depression and anxiety scales or the Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale.3, 13, 19, 20 The Caregiver Strain Index and a self-rated burden questionnaire have also been reported as concise and simple.5 However, we chose the SCQ because it covers depression and anxiety as well as other aspects of burden.5 Moreover, it enabled us to assess caregiving-related problems in different subdomains.18 Although the SCQ has a floor effect,18
Conclusions
The present study showed that the caregiver’s anxiety, patient’s MRS score, caregiver being a daughter-in-law of the patient, and depression of caregivers and patients are important factors influencing the level of burden experienced by stroke caregivers in Korea. Strategies to reduce caregiver burden should be developed and these strategies should be based on understanding these differences. For instance, we may have to develop strategies to reduce caregivers’ depression and anxiety. It would
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Supported by the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare (grant no. 03-PJ1-PG1-CH06-0001).
No party having a direct interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit on the author(s) or on any organization with which the author(s) is/are associated.