Effectiveness of a Family-Centered Approach on Caregiver Strain and Coping Strategies Among Stroke Caregivers: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Background/Objective: Stroke leaves a substantial minority of survivors dependent on family caregivers, who in turn experience considerable strain. This study investigated the strain and coping strategies of stroke caregivers and evaluated the effectiveness of a family-centered approach in improving these outcomes. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted using non-probability purposive sampling. Thirty-one caregiver–patient dyads were recruited at the Department of Occupational Therapy, Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar. Caregivers received a four-week family-centered intervention (30-minute sessions, 3 days/week). Coping was assessed with the Brief-COPE inventory and caregiver strain with the Modified Caregiver Strain Index (MCSI), administered before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed in SPSS v.22 using descriptive statistics and paired-samples t-tests. Results: Mean caregiver age was 32.06 ± 11.97 years; mean patient age was 46.39 ± 17.17 years. Following the intervention, mean Brief-COPE scores improved from 66.39 ± 10.84 to 90.39 ± 7.73 (p = 0.003), and mean MCSI scores improved from 16.39 ± 2.82 to 7.16 ± 1.79 (p = 0.001), both statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. Conclusion: Caregivers of stroke patients used a range of coping techniques, and a structured family-centered approach was associated with a significant reduction in caregiver strain and improvement in coping scores. Structured psychosocial support for stroke caregivers is recommended as a low-cost, time-efficient intervention.

Keywords: family-centered approach; stroke; caregiver strain; coping strategies; rehabilitation.