Types of stroke-related deficits and their impact on family caregiver's depressive symptoms, burden, and quality of life.

Abstract Background Stroke caregiving has been associated with higher rates of caregiver burden, depression, and lower quality of life compared to non-caregivers. Little is known about relationships between stroke survivors’ Cognitive/Emotional and Motor/Functional deficits and caregivers’ outcomes. Objective To determine the relationship between stroke survivors’ Cognitive/Emotional deficits and Motor/Functional deficits and caregivers’ depression, burden, and quality of life. Method This is a retrospective secondary data analysis. The sample consisted of 109 caregivers of stroke survivors. Step-wise linear multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine if Cognitive/Emotional deficits and/or Motor/Functional deficits, were predictive of caregivers’ depressive symptoms, burden, physical quality of life, and mental quality of life. Results The Cognitive/Emotional deficits category was a better predictor than the Motor/Functional deficit of caregivers’ depressive symptoms, burden, and mental quality of life. The Cognitive/Emotional deficit score positively predicted both depression (β=.49, p .05). Conclusions The cognitive/emotional deficits appear to impact caregiver well-being more than the motor/functional deficits. Understanding the impact of Cognitive/Emotional and Motor/Functional deficits on caregivers can help clinicians identify caregivers at the highest risk for negative outcomes.