The relationship of coping style, depression and functional impairment in stroke patients and their caregivers

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the types of coping styles used by stroke patients and their caregivers following a stroke. The main objective was to examine the relationship of these coping styles as well as the relationship of physical functional impairment and time since stroke to depression in stroke patients and their caregivers. A sample of sixty subjects, including thirty stroke patients and their respective caregivers, volunteered to participate in the study. Two-way analysis of variance, one-way analysis of variance and correlation analysis were used to analyze the data. The results of the study indicated that stroke patients who used problem-focused coping were less depressed than patients who used emotion-focused coping as a way of managing the stress following a stroke. Results, however, did not indicate that coping style was a statistically significant factor in determining depression in caregivers of stroke patients. Further analysis of the Coping Responses Inventory showed that certain coping style sub-scales played a role in determining depression scores in both patients and caregivers. As patients\u27 scores on the problem-focused sub-scales of Positive Reappraisal and Problem Solving increased, their depression scores decreased. As patients\u27 scores on the emotion-focused sub-scales of Cognitive Avoidance, Acceptance or Resignation and Emotional Discharge increased, their depression scores also increased. Caregiver scores on the problem-focused sub-scales did not indicate a statistically significant relationship with depression scores. As caregiver scores on the emotion-focused sub-scales of Cognitive Avoidance and Acceptance or Resignation increased, however, their depression scores also increased. Results also revealed that patients with lower levels of physical functioning, along with their respective caregivers, had higher depression scores than patients with higher levels of physical functioning and their caregivers. Finally, the results indicated that time since stroke was not a statistically significant factor in determining level of depression following a stroke. Implications for clinical practice are discussed as well as recommendations for further research