October 27, 1999 Busiest Caregivers Have Highest Stress Level
In the
blink of an eye, the lives of a stroke victim and his or her loved ones change
forever. Activities once taken for granted, such as eating and using the
bathroom, may now be impossible without assistance. Those close to the victim
must cope with concern for the patient as well as the day-to-day demands of
providing care.
Several
studies have documented significant stress levels in caregivers three to five
years after a stroke has occurred. However, researchers from Scotland recently
studied a group of caregivers during the first six months after assuming this
role to determine the amount of stress they experience, as well as the causes of
that stress. These researchers, from the University of Glasgow, University of
Aberdeen, and Glasgow Caledonian University, hoped that their study would
provide insight into identifying caregivers most in need of assistance and the
types of services they would find most valuable.
A total of 110 patient/caregiver pairs were
interviewed at one, three, and six months after the stroke. It came as no
surprise that a significant percentage of caregivers were under considerable
strain, and this strain increased over the six-month period. Caregivers who
spent more time with the patient and more time helping the patient experienced
higher levels of stress. Interestingly, caregivers who spent more time helping
the patient but less actual time with the patient had the greatest level of
stress, leading researchers to conclude that these were possibly caregivers who
had to fit caregiving into an already busy schedule.
Other stressors identified include changes to
family life, changes to personal plans, and confinement associated with
providing care to the stroke survivor. Researchers also note that few of the
caregivers used support services already in place, suggesting the need to
identify caregivers' thoughts regarding these services when developing future
programs.
Finally, in
addition to increasing the availability of meaningful services for caregivers,
these researchers recognized the need for supporting caregivers emotionally,
with particular attention to helping them cope with aspects of their situation
over which they have no control.
