Spouses' quality of life 1 year after stroke: prediction at the start of clinical rehabilitation.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this prospective study was to identify early predictors of spouses' quality of life at 1 year after stroke.


METHODS
At the start of clinical rehabilitation patient and caregiver characteristics, psychological factors, harmony in the relationship and social support were assessed. One year after stroke, caregiver burden (Caregiver Strain Index), life satisfaction (Life Satisfaction Checklist) and depressive symptoms (Goldberg Depression Scale) were assessed in 187 participants. Multiple regression analyses were performed.


RESULTS
About 80% of the spouses reported low quality of life on one or more of the measures; 52% reported depressive symptoms, 54% significant strain and only 50% was satisfied with life as a whole. The regression analysis identified 'passive coping strategy of the caregiver' as the most important predictor. ADL dependency was the only baseline patient characteristic significantly related to burden and life satisfaction, but explained just 0-4% of the variance.


CONCLUSIONS
A large proportion of caregivers perceive impaired quality of life 1 year after stroke. Caregivers at risk should be identified at the start of rehabilitation by means of coping measurement instruments or selected anamneses on coping.
Visser-Meily
Anne
A
Rehabilitation Center De Hoogstraat and Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Rehabilitation, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands. a.visser@dehoogstraat.nl
Post
Marcel
M
Schepers
Vera
V
Lindeman
Eline
E
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D020521:Stroke / Q000523:psychology*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation