Caregiver Burden and Quality of Life of Older Persons With Stroke

This article reports a preliminary investigation in India of the association between caregiver burden and quality of life (QOL) in older persons with stroke after controlling for disability, depression, and sociodemographic factors. A cross-sectional analysis was carried out with 46 stroke patients attending a community hospital in India. The primary outcome variable was patient QOL assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire–short form (WHOQOL-Bref). The primary explanatory variable was caregiver burden, assessed using the Zarit Inventory. Patient economic dissatisfaction ( F = 6.12, p = .04), patient depression ( F = 20.8, p < .001), and caregiver burden ( F = 7.36, p = .009) were found to be associated with lower patient QOL. Caregiver burden was independently associated with lower patient QOL after controlling for patient depression, disability, and economic dissatisfaction (standardized B coefficient = −0.28, p = .03). The level of caregiver burden was a significant correlate of QOL after stroke. Implications for future studies and practice are discussed.