Evaluating the Care Burden of Caregivers of Patients With Brain Injury and Determining the Influencing Factors

Evaluating the Care Burden of Caregivers of Patients With Brain Injury and Determining the Influencing Factors

Acquired brain injury is a general term including trauma due to head injury or postsurgical damage, vascular accident such as stroke or subarachnoid hemorrhage, toxic or metabolic cause such as hypoglycemia, cerebral anoxia, and infection or inflammation. However acquired brain injury leaves survivors with a considerable burden of physical, cognitive, emotional,behavioural and psychosocial limitations,these individuals often require healthcare, supervision, and support from professional or informal caregivers in some or all of their lives. Therefore, this study have two primary aims: (1) to conclude the level of caregiver's life satisfaction and strain; and (2) to determine the factors predicting strain among the caregivers. İnvestigators believe this study can add to the literature and create awareness on the current state of caregiver's well-being in this part of the world.

Patients will evaluate with respect to their demographic and clinical determinants. In the patient group, ambulation status, disability levels, cognitive status, neurobehavioral results, functional status will evaluate with the Functional Ambulation Classification Scale (FACS), Disability Rating Scale (DRS), Rancho Los Amigos Cognitive Scale-Revised (RLAS-R), Neurobehavioral Rating Scale-Revised (NBRS-R), Functional Independence Measure (FIM) respectively. All assessments will conduct and evaluate by the treating physicians during hospitalization.

İnvestigators also will record the type of caregiving (family member or paid professional) and socio-demographic characteristics of the caregivers . Sleep quality will be determined with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality İndex (PSQI), quality of life with NHP (Nottingham Health Profile), level and risk of anxiety and depression with Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, satisfaction level with The Satisfaction with Life Scale , care burden with Caregiver Strain Index (CSI).

Inclusion criteria for the patients:

• have a nonprogressive, non-neurodegenerative acquired brain injury
• able to read or understand the questionnaire
• at least 18 years of age

Inclusion criteria for the caregivers:

• primary caregiver of a patient diagnosed with acquired brain injury
• at least 18 years of age
• had provided care for at least one month
• providing care to the patient for more than 4 h per day
• did not have any major premorbid medical and psychological illnesses
• able to read or understand the questionnaire

Exclusion criteria for patients and caregivers:

• under 18 years of age
• inability to read and understand questions.