Research article

Factors associated with social support for family members who care for stroke survivors

  • Received: 14 July 2021 Accepted: 30 November 2021 Published: 13 December 2021
  • Introduction 

    Vascular strokes are a primary cause of long-term disability for adults, with many social consequences for the patient, the family and healthcare systems worldwide.

    Aim 

    To investigate the relation between patients' and caregivers' characteristics, as well as burden and depression, and the social support received by carers for stroke victims in Greece.

    Method 

    Patients and caregivers were recruited from community settings in the Attica region of Greece, using purposive sampling. They completed a set of questionnaires during face-to-face interviews. Correlational and multiple regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with caregivers' perceptions of social support.

    Results 

    In total, 109 dyads of patients and their respective caregivers were recruited. The patients' mean age was 69.3 years, while caregivers' mean age was 58.0 years; 51.4% of patients were males, whereas 67.9% of the caregivers were females. The majority of both patients and caregivers were married, with an annual family income less than €10,000. The level of perceived social support was significantly associated with patients' or caregivers' annual family income, caregivers' working status and the daily caring hours (p < 0.01). Greater perceived support was significantly associated with a lower care burden BCOS (r = 0.29, p < 0.01) and female gender (p = 0.023), but not with the patient's functional level nor with depression (p > 0.05).

    Citation: Anna Kavga, Ioannis Kalemikerakis, Theocharis Konstantinidis, Ioanna Tsatsou, Petros Galanis, Eugenia Karathanasi, Ourania Govina. Factors associated with social support for family members who care for stroke survivors[J]. AIMS Public Health, 2022, 9(1): 142-154. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2022011

    Related Papers:

  • Introduction 

    Vascular strokes are a primary cause of long-term disability for adults, with many social consequences for the patient, the family and healthcare systems worldwide.

    Aim 

    To investigate the relation between patients' and caregivers' characteristics, as well as burden and depression, and the social support received by carers for stroke victims in Greece.

    Method 

    Patients and caregivers were recruited from community settings in the Attica region of Greece, using purposive sampling. They completed a set of questionnaires during face-to-face interviews. Correlational and multiple regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with caregivers' perceptions of social support.

    Results 

    In total, 109 dyads of patients and their respective caregivers were recruited. The patients' mean age was 69.3 years, while caregivers' mean age was 58.0 years; 51.4% of patients were males, whereas 67.9% of the caregivers were females. The majority of both patients and caregivers were married, with an annual family income less than €10,000. The level of perceived social support was significantly associated with patients' or caregivers' annual family income, caregivers' working status and the daily caring hours (p < 0.01). Greater perceived support was significantly associated with a lower care burden BCOS (r = 0.29, p < 0.01) and female gender (p = 0.023), but not with the patient's functional level nor with depression (p > 0.05).



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    Acknowledgments



    The authors would like to thank the patients and caregivers who participated in the study.

    Conflict of interest



    The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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