The burden of caregiving in partners of long-term stroke survivors.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Few data are available on the specific caregiving-related problems of stroke patients' caregivers and factors that influence the burden of these caregivers. The aim of this study was to describe the level and specific nature of the burden of caregiving as experienced by stroke patients' partners and to estimate the relative contribution of patient and partner characteristics to the presence of partners' burden.

METHODS

As part of a multicenter study on quality of care, burden of caregiving was assessed in 115 partners at 3 years after stroke. Explanatory factors of burden were studied in terms of (1) characteristics of patients (sociodemographic status, severity, type, and localization of stroke, disability, handicap, and unmet care demands) and (2) characteristics of partners (age, sex, disability, quality of life, loneliness, amount of care provided, and unmet care demands).

RESULTS

Partners of stroke patients perceived most caregiving burden in terms of feelings of heavy responsibility, uncertainty about patients' care needs, constant worries, restraints in social life, and feelings that patients rely on only their care. Multiple regression analysis revealed that a higher level of burden could partly be explained by patients' disability (R2 = 14%), but primarily by partners' characteristics in terms of emotional distress (R2 = 16%), loneliness (R2 = 6%), disability (R2 = 3%), amount of informal care provided (R2 = 2%), unmet demands for psychosocial care (R2 = 4%), and unmet demands for assistance in activities of daily living (R2 = 2%).

CONCLUSIONS

Higher levels of burden are primarily related to partners' emotional distress and less to the amount of care they provided, or to patients' characteristics. Sharing responsibilities, helping to clarify the patients' needs, and getting occasional relief of caregiving may be important in the support of caregivers.