The level and influencing factors of caregiver burden among primary caregivers of stroke patients in old age

Abstract

Objective To investigate the level and influencing factors of caregivers' burden among primary caregivers of elderly stroke patients. Methods Totally 298 caregivers of elderly stroke patients were investigated with Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire(SCSQ). The patients were investigated with Modified Barthel Index (MBI). Results The caregivers' burden was in the mild level with a total score of 35.21±11.45. The influencing factors were the number of days of care, daily caring hours, hospital anxiety and depression score, the coping style and the ability of patients to perform ADL. Conclusions The primary caregivers of stroke patients have mild burden. The nurses should be synchronized to assess the health of patients and primary caregivers at the same time, understand the caregivers' burden, and provide specific care advice, in order to reduce the burden of their carer, so as to improve the quality of patients' life. Key words: Stroke; Aged; Caregiver; Caregiver burden