Association of Caregivers Burden with Functional Disability in Chronic Stroke Survivor in Peshawar: Cross-sectional Study

Objective: To determine the association of caregiver burden with functional disability in chronic stroke survivors in Peshawar. Background: Stroke is a condition that is clinically defined as an acute, focal neurological deficit in function that is caused by vascular injury (hemorrhage, infarction) to the central nervous system. The second common cause of death worldwide and the third most common cause of death and disability combined, according to the Global Burden of Disease 2019 stroke burden estimates. “A person who lives with the patient and is most closely involved in taking care of him/her at home” is the definition of the caregiver. Stroke is a severe and debilitating disease that can disrupt daily life, reduce life expectancy, and lower the quality of life for survivors and their families. Methodology: It was a cross-sectional study to explore the association between caregiver burden and functional disability in chronic stroke survivors. Data was collected from 210 patients for assessing functional disability through the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and data was also collected from 210 caregivers for assessing caregiver burden through the Zarit Burden Scale. Results: This study showed that out of 210 patients, 39.0% had total dependence/complete functional disability, 28.1% had moderate dependence/moderate disability, 22.4% had partial dependence/partial disability, and 10.5% had complete independence/no functional disability. The 210 stroke survivors’ caregivers revealed that 22.9% experienced no to mild burden, 20.5% mild to moderate, 28.6% moderate to severe, and 28.1% severe burden. The study found no significant association between caregiver burden and functional disability among 210 participants, with a p - value of 189.8, which is greater than 0.05. Conclusion: This study concluded that there is no significant association between Caregiver burden and functional disability among 210 participants, with a p - value of 189.8, which is greater than 0.05.