Relationship Between Illness Uncertainty and Family Resilience Among Caregivers of Stroke Patients in Chinese Nuclear Families: The Mediating Role of Perceived Stress

Abstract

Purpose: Stroke is a major disease endangering the health of Chinese people, and patients need to rely on the care of family members, which brings heavy caregiving burdens and pressures to caregivers and families, thus disrupting the stable family structure. In view of this, this study was to analyse the current status of family resilience among caregivers of stroke patients in Chinese nuclear families, and to explore the correlation and mechanism of action among perceived stress, illness uncertainty and family resilience. Patients and Methods: This study used a cross-sectional research design. A total of 350 carers of stroke patients in nuclear families from four tertiary hospitals in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China were selected by convenience sampling method and assessed by using demographic questionnaires, the Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS), the Parental Perceptions of Uncertainty Scale-Family (PPUS-FM), and a short Chinese version of the Family Resilience Assessment Scale (FRAS-C). Based on the above data, structural equation model was used to test the mediating role of perceived stress between illness uncertainty and family resilience. Results: Family resilience among caregivers of stroke patients in nuclear families was at the medium lower level, illness uncertainty was at the medium level, and perceived stress was at the relatively high level. Illness uncertainty was positively correlated with perceived stress (P<0.01) and negatively correlated with family resilience (P<0.01). Illness uncertainty directly predicted family resilience (β = −0.516, p < 0.05). And the pathway between illness uncertainty and family resilience was partially mediated by perceived stress (Effect= −0.091, 95% CI [−0.141, −0.055]). Conclusion: Healthcare professionals should pay adequate attention to the level of illness uncertainty and perceived stress among carers of stroke patients, with the need to take measures to reduce carers’ illness uncertainty and perceived stress in order to improve family resilience.