ASSOCIATION OF CAREGIVERS BURDEN WITH FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY IN CHRONIC STROKE SURVIVOR IN PESHAWAR: CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Background: Stroke remains a major global health burden, ranked as the second leading cause of death and the third most common cause of death and disability combined, as per Global Burden of Disease 2019 estimates. Stroke survivors often rely heavily on caregivers for daily activities, and this dependency may impact caregivers' physical, emotional, and financial well-being. Understanding the relationship between the functional limitations of stroke survivors and the burden experienced by caregivers is essential to improving care strategies and support systems. Objective: To determine the association between caregiver burden and functional disability in chronic stroke survivors in tertiary care hospitals of Peshawar. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted involving 210 stroke survivors and their primary caregivers. Functional disability was assessed using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), while caregiver burden was evaluated using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Participants were recruited from Khyber Teaching Hospital, Hayatabad Medical Complex, and Lady Reading Hospital over a 3-month period. Non-probability convenience sampling was used. Ethical approval was obtained from the KMU Ethical Review Committee, and informed consent was secured from all participants. Results: Among the 210 stroke survivors, 82 (39.0%) had total dependence, 59 (28.1%) had moderate dependence, 47 (22.4%) had partial dependence, and 22 (10.5%) had complete independence. Regarding caregiver burden, 48 (22.9%) caregivers experienced no to mild burden, 43 (20.5%) had mild to moderate burden, 60 (28.6%) reported moderate to severe burden, and 59 (28.1%) faced severe burden. Statistical analysis using the chi-square test revealed no significant association between caregiver burden and functional disability (p-value = 0.1898). Conclusion: The findings indicate no statistically significant association between caregiver burden and functional disability in chronic stroke survivors, suggesting the need to explore additional factors influencing caregiver stress in future research.