AbstractsPsychology

Problems Reported by Daughters in the First Year of Caring for Parents with Stroke: A Secondary Data Analysis

by Lisa Stephanie Sommer




Institution: University of Toledo Health Science Campus
Department: College of Nursing
Degree: MS
Year: 2014
Keywords: Nursing; Problems; Stroke; Caring; Caregiver; Caregiver burden; Daughters; Adult daughters
Record ID: 2033846
Full text PDF: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=mco1396032579


Abstract

Purpose, Background/Significance. Women provide most of the unpaid care to family members within the home throughout the post-stroke recovery and rehabilitation process. Transitioning from the role of adult daughter to caregiver for a parent who recently had a stroke can be very stressful and unsettling. The purpose of this descriptive secondary data analysis is to examine problems reported by adult daughters in the first year of caring for a parent with a stroke. Theoretical / Conceptual Framework. Guided by Friedemann’s framework of systemic organization, this analysis explores the problems encountered in the caring experience specific to daughters caring for parents. These women are driven by the desire for health and well-being, or congruence, whereas incongruence or poor health can be the result of problems in caring.Method. With IRB approval, data from a randomized controlled trial were collected from 73 adult caregivers in Ohio and Michigan to examine the experience of caring for someone with stroke. Open-ended questions were included in bimonthly telephone interviews asking the participants to recall their experience of caring in the past two weeks. For this secondary data analysis and with continued IRB approval, problems reported by only the adult daughters (n=13) were analyzed during two time periods (0-6 and 7-12 months) using Colaizzi’s rigorous method of content analysis. Results. Three major themes emerged. The first theme of witnessing a parent’s condition centered on the adult daughter recognizing changes in her parents’ health condition and behavior and supporting them to retain what they had (Friedemann’s process dimension of system maintenance). This theme was consistently apparent throughout 12-months of caring. The second theme, balancing the challenges of the caregiver role, dealt with the struggles and adaption necessary for her new lifestyle as a caregiver (system maintenance and individuation). This theme was noticeable throughout the entire year, but more evident in the second 6-months. The final theme, feeling physically, emotionally, and mentally drained, involved problems associated with the overall exhaustion experienced by adult daughters (system maintenance). This theme was seen throughout the 1-year period, but more visible in the first 6-months of caring.Conclusions. The findings provide specific, theory-based themes of the adult daughters’ problems during that year of caring that could lead to incongruence in their lives. The information gleaned may offer nurses and other healthcare providers a clearer picture of the problems these daughters experience, leading to more targeted interventions, increased support, and ultimately improved overall health/congruence for daughters.