Informal caregiver burden and psychological distress among primary family caregivers of patients who had a stroke

OBJECTIVES: The burden of caregiving on families is significantly increased in neurodegenerative diseases such as stroke, where medical care is required along with physical limitations. This research was conducted to determine the caregiver's care burden, distress level and other factors affecting both. METHODS: The design of this study is descriptive, relational and cross-sectional. The population of the study consists of primary caregivers of patients who had a stroke and were hospitalised in the neurology departments of a university hospital between 1 May 2024 and 30 April 2025. The data of the study were collected using a descriptive information form, the Caregiver Burden Scale and the Kessler Psychological Distress (K10) Scale. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and statistically analysed using SPSS V.26.0. RESULTS: A total of 294 caregivers of patients who had a stroke, 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 was 24.28±9.76, which is high. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that caregivers of patients who had a stroke experienced high levels of distress and that this was highly correlated with care burden. While the gender and socioeconomic status of the caregiver family member affect the care burden, age, education level, number of children, socioeconomic status and marital status also affect distress levels.