Correlates of social support on report of probable common mental disorders in Zimbabwean informal caregivers of patients with stroke: a cross-sectional survey

Exploring the lived experiences of family caregivers of patients with stroke in Africa: a scoping review of qualitative evidence

OBJECTIVE

The burden of stroke is immense in African countries, with post-stroke care usually becoming the responsibility of family. This review sought to determine the current breadth and depth of qualitative evidence regarding the lived experiences of family caregivers of patients with stroke in Africa.

METHODS

Informed by Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews, six databases were searched. Included articles were appraised for quality using the JBI checklist. A priori themes developed using the study objectives were used to synthesize study findings.

RESULTS

The review included 22 articles, which outlined key patterns in stroke outcomes with most articles focused on rehabilitation and the experiences, outcomes, burdens, and coping mechanisms of caregiving. The intersectionality of socio-economic status, socio-political structures, and religious or traditional beliefs, attitudes, and practices characterized etiology beliefs, treatment trajectories of stroke, and caregiving role assignment. Whereas burdens were driven by limited resources, adopted coping strategies involved spiritual or religious beliefs, optimism, resilience, and social support networks.

CONCLUSIONS

Family caregivers' values must be acknowledged, supported, and integrated into the traditional healthcare system to provide comprehensive stroke care. Caregivers' health and well-being should be given more attention given their necessary contribution to stroke survivorship in Africa.

Working-Age Caregivers of Stroke Survivors: Needs, Concerns, and Quality of Life

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to characterize the unmet needs and concerns of working-age caregivers of stroke survivors and to explore the relationships between these unmet needs and concerns and factors such as stroke survivor functional independence, caregiver strain, caregiver self-efficacy, caregiver perceived social support, and caregiver quality of life (QoL).

DESIGN

Cross-sectional descriptive design was used in this study.

METHODS

Participants ( N = 103) completed an online survey. Descriptive statistics, bivariate Pearson correlation, and linear regression analysis was performed.

RESULTS

Negative correlations were found between caregiver needs and concerns and both stroke survivor functional independence and caregiver self-efficacy. Positive correlations were identified between caregiver needs and concerns and caregiver strain. In multiple regression models, stroke survivor functional independence, caregiver self-efficacy, race, and gender were statistically significantly associated with caregiver QoL.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE TO THE PRACTICE OF REHABILITATION NURSING

Results of this study can inform nurses as they collaborate with informal caregivers and researchers in optimizing the rehabilitation and discharge process and aiding in the support of caregiver QoL.

CONCLUSION

Working-age caregivers of stroke survivors expressed many needs and concerns. These needs, along with other factors, can affect outcomes including QoL in caregivers and stroke survivors.

A Holistic Approach to Expressing the Burden of Caregivers for Stroke Survivors: A Systematic Review

This systematic review explores the multifaceted challenges faced by caregivers of stroke survivors, addressing the global impact of strokes and the anticipated rise in survivors over the coming decades. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a thorough literature search identified 34 relevant studies published between 2018 and 2023. The review categorizes caregiver burden into four domains: physical health, social functioning, financial issues, and psychological health. Caregivers often experience a decline in physical health, marked by chronic fatigue, sleep disturbances, and pain. Emotional distress is prevalent, leading to anxiety and depression, especially in cases of high burden. Financial strains arise from medical expenses and employment changes, exacerbating the overall burden. Contextual factors, such as cultural norms and resource availability, influence the caregiver experience. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale assessed the methodological quality of studies. The conclusion emphasizes tailored interventions and support systems for caregivers, with practical recommendations for healthcare professionals, therapists, mental health professionals, financial counselors, and policymakers. This comprehensive review enhances the understanding of caregiver experiences and provides actionable insights to improve stroke care and rehabilitation The study's novelty lies in its holistic examination of caregiver burden in stroke care, its focus on the recent literature, and its emphasis on forecasting caregiver outcomes, contributing valuable insights for proactive intervention strategies.

Struck by stroke - experiences of living with stroke in a rural area in Uganda

BACKGROUND

The global burden of stroke is increasing and persons with low socioeconomic status are among those worst affected. In Uganda, stroke is estimated to be the sixth highest ranking cause of death. The Ugandan healthcare system is reported to be inequitable, where poorer populations often live in rural areas with long distances to health care. Stroke rehabilitation is often scarce, with less financial and human resources. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the consequences of stroke in daily activities in everyday life for people in a rural part of Masaka in Uganda.

METHODS

Qualitative study design. Fourteen persons who had had stroke and were living in their home environment were interviewed about their experiences of having a stroke and managing their lives after the stroke incident. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. In addition, sociodemographic data and level of independence (Barthel Index and Stroke Impact Scale 3.0) was collected to describe participant characteristics.

RESULTS

Most of the participants had major consequences of stroke and described that they were dependent on support for managing their daily activities. Five themes were identified in the analysis: (1) Accepting and adapting to new ways of managing everyday life, (2) Changing roles and hierarchical positions, (3) Depending on caregiver support, (4) Interrupted care due to economic constraints, (5) Stroke leading to losses and losses leading to stroke.

CONCLUSIONS

The consequences of stroke on the persons' daily lives clearly reached beyond the person with stroke, affecting the whole family and their proximate social networks. These consequences included increased burdens on caregivers and a worsened economic situation for all persons affected. Therefore, interventions for stroke management should preferably not only target the individual affected by stroke, but also support the caregivers in the caring and rehabilitation process. Home rehabilitation approaches with a focus on improving health literacy are suggested.

Home-based care of stroke patients in rural Zimbabwe: Knowledge of caregivers

OBJECTIVES

To describe and explore the knowledge and practices of primary caregivers and information they get from village health workers on infection prevention and control among home-based stroke patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A descriptive and exploratory study was conducted on 200 primary caregivers and 200 village health workers selected using multistage random sampling method. Data were collected using questionnaires. Visual Basic for Applications package analysed the data and analysis of variance examined differences between demographic characteristics of participants. Chi-square test was used to determine whether the socio-demographic information and adequacy of information given were associated. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

RESULTS

Primary caregivers were not well informed of the measures to prevent chest infections and urinary tract infections as they rated themselves poor or very poor in practising these measures. There was a correlation between knowledge of prevention and control of infection to primary caregivers' level of education (chi-square=7.49; p=0.024), and residence (chi-square=72.33; p=0.001). There was an association between information given by village health workers on rated adequacy of information and information given on: chest infections (chi-square=20.65; p < 0.0005), skin infections (chi-square=13.42; p=0.009) and urinary tract infections (chi-square=19.20; p=0.001). The information given by village health workers to primary caregivers was also associated with residence (chi-square=107.15; p < 0.0005).

CONCLUSION

Overall, primary caregivers had limited knowledge of infections in home-based stroke patients while the village health caregivers seldom gave them the necessary information. With the necessary training home-based care of stroke patient in Zimbabwe may improve.

Scoping review: Health needs of the family caregivers of elderly stroke survivors

This scoping review mapped out the relevant literature, identified gaps and made suggestions on the subject of the health needs of family caregivers (FC) of elderly stroke survivors (ESS). The authors utilised the PRISMA-ScR checklist to guide the scoping review. The databases PubMed, Elsevier and BioMed Central were searched for academic articles published in the English Language between the years 2010 and 2020 that met a pre-set criteria of content on the health needs of FC of ESS. The process of selection of sources of evidence based on screening and eligibility of evidence reduced the initially identified 13,303 sources of evidence in the searched databases to five sources of evidence. The content of these five sources of evidence was mapped out on a charting table where data was summarised and synthesised first individually and then collectively by the authors. Repetitive and irrelevant data were removed collectively by the authors from the charting table. The gaps identified were a paucity of research on the subject of health needs of FC of ESS, lack of longitudinal and mixed-methods research on the health needs of FC of ESS, sparse use of social sciences perspectives and theories, research that addresses specific physical and mental health concerns beyond general descriptions and gaps in information, social networks, interventions, health policy and systems. Future research directions were suggested and a limitation of this scoping review are addressed in the discussion.

Influence of Spiritual Coping and Social Support on the Mental Health and Quality of Life of the Saudi Informal Caregivers of Patients with Stroke

The research explored the influence of spiritual coping and social support on mental health and quality of life (QOL) of informal caregivers of stroke survivors in Saudi Arabia. The respondents were frequently using religious coping strategies than existential coping strategies. The respondents received higher support from significant others and lowest support from friends. The majority of the respondents had mild to moderate depression, while more than one-third had mild to severe anxiety. Psychological health received the highest QOL, while physical health received the poorest QOL. Spiritual coping and social support significantly influenced the informal caregivers' mental health and QOL.