Relationships Between Informal Caregiver Burden and Psychological Distress Among Primary Family Caregivers of Stroke Patients

Introduction: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between informal caregiver burden and psychological distress among primary family caregivers of stroke patients. Patients and Method : The design of this study is descriptive, relational, and cross-sectional. The population of the study consists of primary caregivers of stroke patients. The data were collected using a descriptive information form, the Caregiver Burden Scale and the Kessler Psychological Distress (K10) Scale. Results A total of 294 caregivers of stroke patients, 160 female and 134 male, completed the study questionnaires. The average age of those participating in the study was 42.59 ± 13.36 (minimum: 18, maximum: 69) years, and 54.4% of the caregivers were female family members. The average care burden score (minimum:33, maximum:108) was 69.38 ± 12.21, which is a medium level. The average distress score (minimum:10, maximum:49) was 24.28 ± 9.76, which is high. Conclusion Our study found that caregivers of stroke patients experienced high levels of distress and that this was highly correlated with care burden.