Preventing Chronic Depression and PTSD in Stroke Patients Admitted to the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Their Family Caregivers

Preventing Chronic Depression and PTSD in Patients With Stroke Admitted to the Neuroscience ICU and Their Family Caregivers

The current study has the following objectives:

1. To determine additional stroke patient (SP) and stroke caregiver (SC) factors including their perceptions of the stroke experience, hospitalization, and how they cope with its challenges; identify additional appropriate points to intervene (maladaptive coping styles, unrealistic expectations, inappropriate prioritization, misinformation about illness, and self care), and assess SP and SC preferences for the structure, mode of delivery (including potential for phone, video or a combination of these) and timing of an intervention.
2. To develop, [using the preliminary data and information from aim 1], and test the feasibility and acceptability (primary outcomes) of a skills-based intervention for preventing chronic depression, anxiety, PTSD and decreased QoL in dyads at risk.

Eligible dyads (stroke patients and stroke caregivers) must meet the following inclusion criteria:

• Age 18 or older
• English fluency and literacy
• Hospitalized with an acute stroke (hemorrhagic and ischemic) within the past 2 weeks (patient) OR primary stroke caregiver of a stroke patient currently admitted with an acute stroke
• Stroke patient or stroke caregiver screens in for depression and/or PTSD

One or more of the following exclusion criteria will render a stroke patient (only) ineligible:

• Stroke patients who cannot participate due to the severity of stroke, cognitive impairment and/or aphasia, and are anticipated to not be able to participate due to permanent impairment as judged by the medical team.