Factors associated with depressive symptoms of carepartners of stroke survivors after discharge from rehabilitation therapy.
Sarah Blanton, Patricia C Clark, George Cotsonis and 1 others
PMID 32160824WHAT IT FOUND
Stroke caregivers with more depressive symptoms provided less autonomy support to survivors during home exercises.
Depression was also linked to higher fatigue, worse family functioning, and more survivor memory problems. These associations were found in a small group of mostly white, educated spouses.
Key findings
01Caregivers with higher depressive symptoms provided less autonomy support to the stroke survivor for rehabilitation activities.
02Higher caregiver depressive symptoms were associated with worse life changes, higher fatigue, less effective family functioning, and more survivor memory and behavior problems.
0316% of caregivers scored above the threshold for possible clinical depression, though the group average indicated only mild to moderate symptoms.
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
Small sample size (32 dyads) limits the reliability of the findings. The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot determine if depression causes less autonomy support or if the stress of caregiving causes depression. The sample was mostly white, well-educated, and female, so results may not apply to other caregiver demographics. Caregivers were excluded if they could not read or write English, limiting generalizability. One question was accidentally omitted from the Caregiver Strain Index scale during data collection.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that treating caregiver depression will automatically improve patient outcomes. This study shows an association, not causation, and it is unclear whether depression leads to less support or if the demands of caregiving lead to depression.