Caregiver burden in relation to cognitive status and dependence on activities of daily living in stroke patients: A cross-sectional study in the Dominican Republic

Objective

To determine whether the burden of the family caregiver is related to cognitive status and dependence on the activities of daily living (ADL) of the stroke patient under their care.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was carried out. The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Barthel index were used to assess, respectively, the patient’s cognitive status and ADL. The Zarit scale was applied to assess the burden on caregivers. A Spearman correlation was used assuming data abnormality on the Zarit scale and considering a significance of P < .05.

Results

28 patients and 28 caregivers were evaluated. The Zarit scale showed correlations with the MMSE (Rho = −.48) and MoCA (Rho = −.43), as well as in the cognitive domains associated with temporo-spatial orientation (Rho = −.45) and reading (Rho = −.45) of the MMSE and language (Rho = −.41), memory (Rho = −.40) and temporo-spatial orientation (Rho = −.46) of the MoCA. On the other hand, the Zarit scale was correlated with the Barthel index (Rho = −.56) and the ADLs relating to dressing and undressing (Rho = −.45), bathing (Rho = −.38) and transferring from the chair to the bed (Rho = −.41).

Conclusions

The caregiver burden was correlated with impaired cognitive status and dependence on ADL in stroke patients.