The Effect of Psycho-educational Interventions on General Health of Family Caregivers of Patients With Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Zahra Molazem; Taybeh Falahati; Iran Jahanbin; Soraya Ghadakpour; Payman Jafari

Jundishapur Journal of Chronic Disease Care

The Official Journal of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences

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The Effect of Psycho-educational Interventions on General Health of Family Caregivers of Patients With Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Author(s):

Zahra Molazem^1,*,

Taybeh Falahati²,

Iran Jahanbin³,

Soraya Ghadakpour³,

Payman Jafari⁴

1Community Based Nursing and Midwifery Research Center, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IR Iran

2Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IR Iran

3Department of Nursing, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IR Iran

4Department of Biostatistics, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, IR Iran

Jundishapur Journal of Chronic Disease Care:Vol. 2, issue 4; 32252

Published online:Nov 15, 2013

Article type:Research Article

Received:Dec 16, 2012

Accepted:Mar 15, 2013

How to Cite:Zahra MolazemTaybeh FalahatiIran JahanbinSoraya GhadakpourPayman JafariThe Effect of Psycho-educational Interventions on General Health of Family Caregivers of Patients With Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Jundishapur J Chronic Dis Care.2(4):32252.

Abstract

Introduction:

Family caregivers are often responsible for providing significant support to relatives who require care at home. However, evidence suggests that family caregivers have limited information, resources or support to prepare them for such a role. Furthermore, family caregiving can be associated with negative physical and psychosocial outcomes. This study examines the short-term impact of psychoeducational interventions on genera health of family caregivers of patients with spinal cord injury.

Materials and Methods:

In this randomized controlled trial 62 caregivers, who had a primary role, participated in this study; these candidates were randomly categorized into intervention (n = 33) and control (n = 29) groups. Caregivers of the intervention group took part in the training sections, which were held once a week for four successive weeks (each session lasting 90 minutes), while control group received no training. Both groups completed the general health questionnaire (GHQ-28) before the intervention and 2 and 6 weeks after the intervention. A Chi-square test, independent t-tests, fisher exact test and Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance were used with the SPSS program for data analysis.

Results:

The results have revealed that all the participants had mental health disorders, in both groups. After the intervention a significant difference was found between the two study groups regarding the mean score of mental health 2 and 6 weeks after the intervention (P = 0.001). Similar results were also obtained regarding the domains of mental health (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

The results revealed the effectiveness of psycho-educational interventions in improving general health among caregivers of patients with spinal cord injury. Designing continual programs along with consultation is essential and beneficial in promoting general health of family caregivers of spinal cord injury patients.

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