Couples coping in the community after the stroke of a spouse: A scoping review.
Sheena Ramazanu, Alice Yuen Loke, Vico Chung Lim Chiang
PMID 32089843WHAT IT FOUND
Stroke survivors and spouses coping at home reported stress, depression, role conflict and strained relationships, with caregivers often feeling lost and unsupported.
Key findings
01Couples coping at home after stroke commonly reported emotional challenges, including stress, depression, loneliness and feeling overwhelmed.
02Spousal caregivers often experienced higher stress than stroke patients, and caregiver stress did not decline significantly over six months after discharge.
03Role conflicts and relationship strain were common, including some marriages ending in divorce.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Scoping reviews map literature and do not appraise study quality. The evidence strength behind the themes is limited. Only English-language articles were included. Relevant studies in other languages may be missing. None of the included studies were conducted in Asia. Transferability to other settings is limited. The included quantitative studies lacked power analyses and sample size calculations. Sample sizes varied widely, from 2 to 211 couples in the couple studies. The review combined qualitative, mixed-methods and quantitative studies. Findings are not directly comparable.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat the themes as proof that a couple-focused discharge programme works. This scoping review did not appraise study quality, and it summarizes coping experiences rather than testing interventions.