Quality of life and burden of informal caregivers of post-stroke individuals

Introduction: Assistance to post-stroke individuals is usually provided by family caregivers, but with a great burden and negative impact on their quality of life (QoL). Objective: To identify the population that currently takes care informally for individuals with sequelae resulting from stroke in Araranguá/SC (Brazil) and to assess the relationship between QoL and the level of burden in this population. Method: A cross-sectional study that evaluated 60 individuals: 30 informal caregivers of 30 chronic post-stroke individuals enrolled in Basic Health Units in Araranguá, SC. The following assessment instruments were used: Zarit Burden Interview Scale to assess burden and World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire(WHOQOL-BREF) to assess caregiver QoL; Functional Independence Measure (FIM) to assess functional independence and the Modified Rankin Scale to assess the individual's level of disability post-stroke. Results: Some level of burden was observed in 71.67% of the caregivers evaluated, with the majority (46.67%) having mild to moderate burden. The caregivers' QoL was altered, with lower levels of satisfaction on the physical and environment domains. A significant correlation was observed between burden and QoL (ρ=- 0.60; p