[A study on the related factors of the wellbeing of family caregivers in elderly with stroke].
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to identify the factors related to the wellbeing of the family caregivers of the elderly with a stroke.


METHODS
The subjects of this study were 199 elderly treated in four oriental hospitals in Korea, and their primary family caregivers. The data was collected by interviews and a self-reported questionnaire, during the period from October, 2003 to April, 2004.


RESULTS
The results of this study were as follows. The mean score of wellbeing of family caregivers was 60.6412.63. The factors related to wellbeing of family caregivers were sex, age, education, depression, illness severity, ADL, paralysis, and speech disability in elderly characteristics. Among family caregivers characteristics, education, relation, and burden were significantly related. In situational variables, family income and the previous relationship between the elderly and family caregivers were related to wellbeing. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that the most powerful predictor of wellbeing was the burden of family caregivers. A combination of the depression of elderly and age of family caregivers accounted for 50.3% of the variance of wellbeing.


CONCLUSIONS
On developing the nursing intervention for improving wellbeing of family caregivers, many factors should be considered, especially caregiver burden, and elderly depression.
Park
Yeon Hwan
YH
College of Nursing, Seoul National University, 28 Yeongon-dong, Jongro-Gu, Seoul 110-744, Korea. hanipyh@snu.ac.kr
Yu
Su Jeong
SJ
Kim
Shin Mi
SM
Lee
Yun Jung
YJ
D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D020521:Stroke / Q000451:nursing*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires