The Effect of Educational Intervention on Family Caregivers’ Perceived Threat of the Risk of Dependence Among Patients with Stroke: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Stroke is the main cause of adult inability and dependency on caregiver in performing activities of daily living (ADLs). Studies showed that the caregivers of such patients experienced high levels of dependency-induced caring pressure and, consequently, physical-psychological problems. Objectives: The present study aimed to examine the effect of the instructional intervention on family caregivers’ perceived threat of stroke patients dependency risk. Methods: In a randomized controlled clinical trial study, a total of 45 pairs of stroke patients and their family caregivers were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and randomly divided into the intervention and control groups. Sampling lasted from July 2016 to March 2017 and was performed in Tehran, Iran. Instructional intervention for family caregivers in the intervention group was in the form of four one-hour sessions. The data were collected before and immediately after instructional intervention at the hospital as well as two weeks and two months following the intervention via postal service. Results: Themeanrank of family caregivers’ perceived threat was 1.44 and 2.76 in pre-intervention stage of intervention and control groups, which became 2.49 and 2.49 two months after intervention, respectively. The Friedman test showed that there was a significant difference in all post instructional intervention stages compared with pre-intervention (P < 0.001), whereas no such difference was observed in the control group (P = 0.245). The Mann-Whitney U test also showed that the pre-intervention family caregivers perceived threat was also not significantly different in the two groups (P = 0.591). However, it was increased immediately, two weeks, and two months following the intervention compared with the control group (P < 0.001). Conclusions: It is recommended that stroke patients’ caregivers be provided with instructional programs to enhance their understanding of patient dependency risks and challenges.