Relationship Consensus and Caregiver Burden in Adults with Cognitive Impairments 6 Months Following Stroke.
Chao-Yi Wu, Elizabeth R Skidmore, Juleen Rodakowski
PMID 30844137WHAT IT FOUND
Caregivers of stroke survivors with cognitive impairments who reported less agreement on goals and expectations were more likely to have high burden.
Time together and satisfaction did not track with burden in the main analysis.
Key findings
01Relationship consensus was associated with high caregiver burden in the main logistic model (OR=1.48; 95%CI=1.06 to 2.07; p=.02).
02Relationship cohesion and relationship satisfaction were not associated with high caregiver burden in the main logistic model.
03A separate adjusted risk-ratio analysis found consensus and satisfaction associated with burden, but not cohesion.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that relationship consensus causes caregiver burden or that changing consensus would reduce burden. Only caregivers reported relationship quality, not care-recipients, so the dyad's shared view was not measured. The analysis included 60 dyads, which is small for testing several variables. Caregivers who refused the interview may have had higher burden, so the sample may miss the most burdened caregivers. The sample was mostly spouses and nearly 60 years old, so results may not fit other caregiver types. No data on caregiver mood or health status were collected. Relationship satisfaction was not associated in the main logistic model but was associated in a separate risk-ratio analysis.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest were declared. The article is listed as supported by NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that improving relationship consensus will reduce caregiver burden. The study was cross-sectional and did not test a goal-setting intervention.