Caregiving, Participation, and Quality of Life of Closest Next of Kin of Persons Living with Spinal Cord Injury in Norway.
Annette Halvorsen, Kristine Pape, Marcel Post and 3 others
PMID 35266007WHAT IT FOUND
Most caregivers of people with spinal cord injury in Norway reported good quality of life and happiness in caring.
However, one-quarter experienced high strain, especially emotional adjustment. Injury severity predicted practical help given, but not emotional burden or overall well-being.
Key findings
01One-quarter of next of kin reported a high level of caregiver strain, with emotional adjustment being the most frequently endorsed item.
02Nearly all next of kin found caring important and were happy to do so, and most reported good quality of life.
03Severity of the person's spinal cord injury was associated with higher objective burden (amount of support given) but not with subjective strain or quality of life.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (73 participants) because only 27% of the invited persons with SCI provided contact details for their next of kin. The response rate was low, which hampers generalizability. The study design is cross-sectional, so it cannot determine causality between injury characteristics and caregiver outcomes. Self-selection bias is possible if persons with poor relationships with their next of kin were less likely to share contact information.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study received ethical approval from the Regional Committee for Medical and Health Research Ethics in Central Norway.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a patient with a more severe spinal cord injury automatically has a caregiver with higher emotional strain. The study found that injury severity predicted the amount of practical help given, but not the caregiver's subjective burden or quality of life.