title: Anxiety and depression associated with caregiver burden in caregivers of stroke survivors with spasticity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between anxiety/depression and caregiver burden in informal caregivers of stroke survivors with spasticity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected via online surveys from informal caregivers 18 years or older who cared for stroke survivors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Internet-based survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  2007 through 2009 U.S. National Health and Wellness Survey database or Lightspeed Research general panel respondents (N=153).
  
  
  METHODS
  Not applicable.
  
  
  METHODS
  Anxiety and depression were self-reported by the caregiver as a physician diagnosis. Depression severity was measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Caregiver burden was measured by the Oberst Caregiving Burden Scale (OCBS) and the Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale (BCOS). Logistic regression analyses were conducted with anxiety, depression, and the PHQ-9 depression severity categories as a result of each caregiver burden scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data were analyzed for 153 informal caregivers; they were mostly women (70.6%) and white (78.4%), with a mean age of 51.6 years. For every 1-point increase in the OCBS Difficulty Scale, the odds of anxiety or depression were 2.57 times as great (P<.001) and 1.88 times as great (P=.007), respectively. The odds of PHQ-9 severe depression versus all other categories combined were 2.48 times as great (P<.001). For every 1-point decrease in the BCOS, the odds of anxiety or depression were 2.43 times as great (P<.001) and 2.27 times as great (P=.002), respectively. The odds of PHQ-9 severe depression versus all other categories combined were 4.55 times as great (P<.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As caregiver burden increases, caregivers are more likely to have anxiety and depression. Depression severity also increases. Providing treatment to stroke survivors with spasticity that lessens the time and more importantly, the difficulty of caregiving may lead to a reduction in caregiver anxiety and depression.
authors.affiliation: Mercer University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Atlanta, GA, USA. melissa.denno@xcenda.com
authors.forename: Melissa S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Denno
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Gillard
authors.forename: Glenn D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: Marco D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: DiBonaventura
authors.forename: Amir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goren
authors.forename: Sepi F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Varon
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zorowitz
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009128:Muscle Spasticity / Q000209:etiology*; D062072:Patient Acuity; D011788:Quality of Life; D057566:Self Report; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications*
keywords: Anxiety; BCOS; Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale; CI; Caregivers; Depression; LSR; Lightspeed Research; MS; Muscle spasticity; NHWS; National Health and Wellness Survey; OCBS; Oberst Caregiving Burden Scale; PHQ-9; Patient Health Questionnaire-9; Rehabilitation; Stroke; confidence interval; multiple sclerosis