Baseline resilience and post traumatic symptoms in dyads of neurocritical patients and their informal caregivers: A prospective dyadic analysis

ABSTRACT Background Admission to a Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit (Neuro-ICU) is sudden and often traumatic for both patients and their informal caregivers. No prior studies have assessed prospectively risk and resiliency factors for chronic posttraumatic symptoms, as well as the potential interdependence between patients and caregivers symptoms over time. Purpose To analyze the impact of baseline resiliency factors on symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTS) longitudinally in dyads of patients admitted to the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit (Neuro-ICU) and their primary family caregivers. Method We recruited dyads (M=108) of patients admitted to the Neuro-ICU (total N = 102) and their family caregivers (total N = 103). Dyads completed self-report assessments of PTS, and resiliency factors (mindfulness and coping) at baseline in the Neuro-ICU. PTS was measured again at 3- and 6-month follow-up. Results Clinically significant PTS symptoms were high at baseline in both patients (20%) and caregivers (16%), and remained high through 6 months (25% in patients;14% in caregivers). Actor-partner interdependence modeling demonstrated that severity of PTS symptoms was predictive of PTS symptoms at subsequent time points (ps Conclusions Findings highlight the need to prioritize assessment and treatment of PTS in Neuro-ICU patients and their informal caregivers through a dyadic approach.