The relationship of the care load and depression level of primary care givers of patients with stroke

This research was conducted to examine the relationship between the caregiving burden and the level of depression of primary caregivers of stroke patients. The descriptive and relationship-seeker type of research was conducted with primary caregivers of 92 stroke diagnoses in a university hospital's neurology intensive care unit, stroke centre and neurology clinic. The data of the study were collected with the Sociodemographic Data Sheet, Burden Interview and the Beck Depression Inventory. The data was analysed with the SPSS 22.0 package program. The data obtained from the study were evaluated using mean±standard deviation, median (min-max values), number, percentage, t test, variance analysis and Pearson correlation analysis. There is no statistically significant difference between the Burden Interview score averages and Beck depression inventory score averages according to gender, marital status, education level, occupation, social security, income status, chronic disease status of primary caregivers (p>0.05). It was determined that there was a statistically significant difference between Burden Interview and Beck depression scale score averages according to their proximity rating of primary caregivers (p<0.05). Of primary caregivers, caregivers/others have lower Burden Interview score averages. Beck depression score averages do not differ statistically significantly according to the proximity ratings of primary caregivers (p>0.05). Burden Interview score averages vary statistically significantly compared to caregivers Beck Depression Scale depression classes (p<0.05). Accordingly, it was determined that caregivers with moderate and severe depression levels had higher Burden Interview score averages than caregivers in other depression classes. There is a significant relationship between the burden of care and the level of depression from primary caregivers.