0292 STRESS AND STRESS-RELATED SYMPTOMS AMONG TAIWANESE PRIMARY FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN INTENSIVE CARE UNITS. (28th April 2017) - Chang, PY
Abstract: Introduction: Primary family caregivers (PFCs) in the intensive care unit (ICU) experience stress and stress-related symptoms (e.g., sleep disturbances and fatigue), which could affect their health and care quality of their care recipients. The vulnerability of PFCs could become a risk factor to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study aimed to: 1) explore the associations between ICU hospitalization event stress and stress-related symptoms (i.e., sleep disturbances, fatigue); 2) identify the predictors for sleep disturbance and fatigue among PFCs. Methods: Lazarus and Folkman's Stress-Coping theory was used to guide for this descriptive correlational study. A total of 72 PFCs, from a teaching hospital in Taiwan, completed a battery of questionnaires within the first two weeks while their care recipient was cared in the ICU, to measure their event stress perception, sleep disturbance, and fatigue severity. Social support and demographic data were also obtained as confounding variables. Results: The mean age of the PFCs was 49.2 (SD=10.9) and the majority of them were female (62.5%), and patient's child (68.1%). These PFCs perceived high stress level (M= 33.2, SD=16.9) as indexed by Impact of Event Scale-revised, indicating high risk of PTSD. They also reported clinically significant poor sleep quality (M= 3.5, SD=1.6) and fatigue severity (M= 3.7, SD=2.6). On average, they had 6 sources of social support, and usually came from family members (58.4%). Those PFCs who perceived higher stress also reported more sleep disturbances ( r = .59, p < .05) and severe fatigue ( r = .54, p < .05). Female, younger age, higher self-ratedcare recipient's disease severity, lower social support and higher stress perception accounted for sleep disturbance and fatigue 36.2% and 30.1%, respectively. Perceived event stress is the only significant predictor for fatigue while age along with perceived event stress are the significant predictors for sleep disturbance. Conclusion: The PFCs experienced high stress, poor sleep quality and severe fatigue and these warrant further stress-coping interventions to reduce stress-related symptoms. Social supports buffer stress in Western society; however, it was not in this study, which call for further research, particularly in the area of cultural variance. Support (If Any):