Gawulayo Sibulelo, Erasmus Charlene J, Rhoda Anthea J
Department of Social Work, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa.
Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies on Children, Families and Society, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa.
Afr J Disabil. 2021 Oct 25;10:801. doi: 10.4102/ajod.v10i0.801. eCollection 2021.
Stroke survivors often experience permanent or temporal physical and psychological stroke impairments. As a result, stroke survivors are often discharged to recover in their home environments and are cared for mostly by family members. Additionally, caregiving roles are often assumed without any formal training or preparation whatsoever. This can transform the family's functional patterns due to adjustments that are made to accommodate the caregiving needs.
To explore the experiences and influence of stroke on families and on family functioning.
Explorative descriptive qualitative research design through the use of in-depth interviews were employed as the means of data collection. The sample size was eight (8) family members and was guided by the saturation point. Data was thematically analysed.
Four themes emerged from the analysis: 1) reduced interactions with family members due to communication barriers, 2) the influence of stroke on family relationships, 3) emotional engagement in caring for a family member with a stroke and 4) financial implications of stroke on family functioning. This study found that stroke can influence the family functioning negatively as family members may be forced to change their functional patterns. However, some family members reported positive experiences, they developed a supportive structure to accommodate the new life of the stroke survivor.
Using the McMaster's model of family functioning, this study found that stroke is a threat to the six dimensions of family functioning: 1) problem-solving, 2) communication, 3) roles, 4) affective responsiveness, 5) affective involvement, and 6) behaviour control.
中风幸存者常常会经历永久性或暂时性的身体和心理方面的中风损伤。因此，中风幸存者出院后通常在家中康复，主要由家庭成员照顾。此外，承担照顾责任的家庭成员往往没有接受过任何正规培训或准备。由于为满足照顾需求而进行的调整，这可能会改变家庭的功能模式。
探讨中风对家庭及其功能的影响和经历。
采用探索性描述性定性研究设计，通过深度访谈收集数据。样本量为8名家庭成员，以饱和点为指导。对数据进行主题分析。
分析得出四个主题：1）由于沟通障碍，与家庭成员的互动减少；2）中风对家庭关系的影响；3）照顾中风家庭成员时的情感投入；4）中风对家庭功能的经济影响。本研究发现，中风可能会对家庭功能产生负面影响，因为家庭成员可能被迫改变他们的功能模式。然而，一些家庭成员报告了积极的经历，他们建立了一个支持性结构来适应中风幸存者的新生活。
本研究采用麦克马斯特家庭功能模型，发现中风对家庭功能的六个维度构成威胁：1）问题解决；2）沟通；3）角色；4）情感反应；5）情感卷入；6）行为控制。
