PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with family caregivers' self-management of acute stroke survivors.
METHODS
The study participants were 130 stroke survivors and their caregivers. Data on participant characteristics, depression, task difficulty, survivor memory and behavioral problem, and self-management were collected from July 1 to September 30, 2017 using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed with the SPSS/WIN 23.0 program for descriptive statistics, using independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficient and enter multiple regression analysis.
RESULTS
Significant factors associated with self-management for family caregivers were survivors' age, the presence of comorbidities, the relationship between caregivers and survivors, and the presence of an alternative caregiver. Self-management has negative correlations with depression, task difficulty, and the occurrence of survivor memory and behavioral problems. The determining factors affecting caregiver self-management were caregiver depression (β=−.46, p < .001) and survivor age (β=.32, p=.004), and their explanation power was about 37%.
CONCLUSION
The results suggest that caregiver depression and survivor age should be considered in developing the nursing interventions to improve family caregiver self-management. Furthermore, findings underscore the importance of early screening and ongoing psychological assessments for depression in family caregivers of stroke survivors.