Social problem-solving abilities, relationship satisfaction and depression among family caregivers of stroke survivors. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To examine the prospective relation of caregiver problem-solving abilities and relationship satisfaction to caregiver depression 1 month following care recipient discharge from an inpatient stroke rehabilitation facility. RESEARCH DESIGN: Correlational, prospective design. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Participants included 39 women (average age = 51.47, SD = 20.59) and four men (average age = 42.50, SD = 5.57) assuming caregiver roles for persons discharged from stroke rehabilitation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The Beck Depression Inventory was the outcome measure at discharge and 1 month later. RESULTS: Caregivers experienced a significant decrease in depression scores between the discharge and 1-month assessments. Lower relationship satisfaction and dysfunctional problem-solving abilities were independently and significantly predictive of depression scores at discharge. Dysfunctional problem-solving abilities were indirectly predictive of depression 1 month later. CONCLUSIONS: Dysfunctional problem-solving abilities and low relationship satisfaction are associated with caregiver depression, but dysfunctional problem-solving abilities maintain an indirect association with depression over 1 month. Implications of these findings for developing problem-solving training programmes for caregivers post-discharge are discussed.

published proceedings

  • Brain Inj

author list (cited authors)

  • Shanmugham, K., Cano, M. A., Elliott, T. R., & Davis, M.

citation count

  • 25

complete list of authors

  • Shanmugham, Kalpana||Cano, Miguel A||Elliott, Timothy R||Davis, Matthew

publication date

  • January 2009