Posttraumatic growth, coping and quality of life in stroke carers

Objective: this study examined variables associated with posttraumatic growth (PTG) in people caring for a spouse who had suffered a stroke. Method: A cross sectional study was conducted in which carers (n=71) completed questionnaires measuring PTG, coping style, social support, level of functioning (of the care-recipient) and carer quality of life. A systematic search of the literature was also conducted. Results: All carers who completed a measure of PTG (n=70) reported growth in at least one area of their experience and mean PTG score for the sample was significantly different from zero (t[69] = 17.86, p<.001). PTG was positively correlated with rumination coping, social support, avoidance coping and quality of life. Regression analyses showed that rumination coping, social support and level of functioning (of the care-recipient) explained the greatest proportion (46%) of variance in PTG scores and that rumination coping, alone, accounted for 37% of variance in scores. Conclusions: The findings add to the limited body of evidence suggesting that stroke carers experience personal growth as a result of their experiences. The findings also suggest a particular role for ruminative coping processing in predicting growth and support the use of the model of PTG proposed by Tedeschi and Calhoun (2004) over that of Schaefer and Moos (1998).EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo