Haifa Al Issa
King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia
Title: Stroke burden and associated depression among caregivers in a tertiary hospital
Biography
Biography: Haifa Al Issa
Abstract
Statement of the Problem: Stroke caregiver burden is becoming a renowned universal issue. Several studies were done globally to investigate the burden of stroke among caregivers, but the gulf region generally and Saudi Arabia specifically had little or no share of these studies. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of depression and strain among stroke caregivers and to determine factors related to increased depression and strain levels.
Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: A cross-sectional design was used with a convenience sample of 137 subjects. The Patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9)” and the Caregiver Strain Index were used to identify caregiver depression and burden, respectively. Multinomial Logistic regression analysis identified the influence of independent variables on caregiver depression and caregiver burden.
Findings: Caregivers had high scores of both depression and burden indices. Greater levels of depression and strain were associated with caring for dependent females with haemorrhagic type of stroke. Caregiver’s gender, satisfaction with income, and receiving help in caring for patient were related to caregiver depression. Those who were females, not satisfied with income, and did not receive help in caring for patients had significantly higher levels of depression and strain.
Conclusion & Significance: The study indicated significant strain and depression levels among caregivers of stroke patients.
Recommendations: Awareness should be spread and further research should be conducted about strategies which may help in decreasing burden and depression.