Spiritual Well-Being, and Caring Burden of Informal Caregivers of Stroke Patients.

Abstract

Background: Caregivers of stroke patients face the significant burden. This study aimed to explore the relationship between caregiver burden and spiritual well-being among caregivers of stroke patients in Qom, Iran.

Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study included 112 caregivers of stroke patients. Participants were selected using convenience sampling from three rehabilitation centers in Qom, Iran, between March and December 2022. Data was collected using the Caregiver Burden Inventory and the Ellison and Paloutzian Spiritual Well-being Questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistical methods, including linear regression analysis, in SPSS 24 software.

Results: The mean (SD) caregiver burden was 67.10 (6.76), with 87.10% of participants reporting a high caregiver burden. The mean (SD) religious well-being score was 50.25 (9.41), while the mean (SD) existential well-being score was 42.78 (11.28). The stepwise multiple linear regression analysis showed that, after adjusting for demographic characteristics, care dependency (β = 0.380, p = 0.001) and existential well-being (β = 0.277, p = 0.009) were significantly associated with caregiver burden. These variables explained 38.00% of the variance in caregiver burden.

Conclusions: The study suggests that enhancing spiritual aspects, particularly existential well-being, could reduce the perceived burden of caregivers. This valuable insight can be utilized to create interventions aimed at alleviating the challenges experienced by caregivers of stroke patients, ultimately reducing the impact of these difficulties.