title: Impact of support group intervention on family system strengths of rural caregivers of stroke patients in India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of support group intervention on family system strengths of rural caregivers of stroke patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  True experimental pretest and post-test design was adopted for the study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted in Kattankulathur Block, a rural area in Kancheepuram district, India.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred forty caregivers of stroke patients were selected by simple random sampling technique.
  
  
  METHODS
  Enrolment in self-help groups and attending meetings were used as the interventional strategy for the purpose of this study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The main outcome of the study was to evaluate the impact of support group intervention on family system strengths of rural caregivers of stroke patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Following intervention, the mean score and the standard deviation of the experimental group increased to 44.73 and 5.83, respectively, the control group mean score remained at 22.08 and the standard deviation was 3.07 at t = 37.58. P value was 0.001, which is statistically significant at the confidence interval of 39.45%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was found that there was a significant and positive increase in the family system strengths of caregivers who participated in the self-help group meetings, thereby suggesting that support group intervention programs are an effective nursing strategy that can be employed for improving the overall well-being of the caregivers of stroke patients.
authors: Community Health Nursing, SRM College of Nursing, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors: M Hema
authors: MH
authors: Malini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012424:Rural Population; D012657:Self-Help Groups / Q000458:organization & administration; D020521:Stroke / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: caregiver; family system strength; self-help group; stroke; support group intervention