Predictors of Health in Adult Child Caregivers of Parent Stroke Survivors in China.

摘要

Strokes are the leading cause of adult disability and death in China. The prevalence is 6 - 9% among adults over 65 in urban areas. It is estimated that currently there are more than 7.5 million stroke survivors with an annual increase of 2.5 million new cases. These stroke survivors are in great need of care during their rehabilitation. The tradition of filial piety involves adult children in caregiving to their parent stroke survivors; however, the caregiving responsibility becomes more challenging due to shrinking family size and modernization; thus caregiver health is often compromised. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews at hospital units or participants' homes using structured questionnaires of the 15-item Mutuality Scale, the 4-item Filial Attitude Scale, the 8-item Filial Behavior Scale, the 12-item Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and the Second Version of the Standard 12-item Health Survey. SPSS 17 was used for data analysis. After adjusting for caregiver age and gender, mutuality and filial attitude were associated significantly negatively with caregiver depression. Mutuality was significantly positively associated with caregiver physical health, and filial attitude and perceived social support were significantly positively associated with caregiver mental health. After caregivers' number of diseases and care receivers' functional impairment were adjusted, filial attitude significantly predicted age- and gender-adjusted caregiver depression. After caregivers' number of diseases, employment type, and care receivers' functional impairment were adjusted, mutuality significantly predicted age- and gender-adjusted caregiver physical health. After caregivers' monthly income and care receivers' functional impairment were adjusted, none of the independent variables significantly predicted age- and gender-adjusted caregiver mental health. Mutuality, filial attitude, and perceived social support can be viewed as caregivers' resources. Thus, nursing interventions and/or policies that might enhance these resources would be helpful for adult child caregivers of parent stroke survivors. Nurses can assess caregivers' mutuality, filial attitude, and perceived social support as part of caregiver health, and develop strategies to enrich these resources, thereby maintaining caregiver health and caregiving ability.