Psychological Distress Common for Family Surrogates of Stroke Patients
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 27, 2023 -- For family surrogates who make decisions about life-sustaining treatments for stroke patients, psychological distress is common and is worse among Mexican Americans (MAs), according to a study published online Dec. 20 in Neurology.
Lewis B. Morgenstern, M.D., from Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor, and colleagues conducted a population-based, prospective cohort study involving stroke patients and their surrogate decision-makers, enrolled soon after any stroke if surrogates made decisions about life-sustaining treatments. Surrogates completed validated measures of posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and depression at three, six, and 12 months. Data were included for 301 family surrogates of 241 severe stroke patients who were followed for a mean of 315 days.
The researchers found that 17 to 28 percent of surrogates had high scores on measures of psychological distress. Overall, 17 to 43 percent of surrogates had one or more high levels of the psychological outcomes; 12 to 27 percent had two or more; and 5 to 16 percent had all three. In unadjusted analyses, all psychological outcomes were worse among MAs; posttraumatic stress remained worse in MAs in fully adjusted models (0.36), but ethnic differences were attenuated and no longer significant for anxiety and depression. The trajectory for depression differed by ethnicity; over time, depression scores improved more rapidly among non-Hispanic White people than MAs. Ethnic differences were not confounded by advance care plans.
"Additional research and care should be directed at surrogate decision makers that have long-term negative consequences after their loved ones suffer a severe stroke," the authors write.
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted December 2023
Read this next
Bidirectional Link ID'd for Change in Depressive Symptoms, Memory Change
THURSDAY, June 13, 2024 -- A linear change in depressive symptoms is associated with accelerated memory change and vice versa in adults aged 50 years or older, according to a...
Positive Psychology Intervention Aids Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant Survivors
THURSDAY, June 13, 2024 -- A telephone-delivered positive psychology intervention (Positive Affect for the Transplantation of Hematopoietic stem cells intervention [PATH]) is...
Exposure to Depressive Symptoms Linked to Worse Cognitive Function
WEDNESDAY, June 12, 2024 -- Exposure to elevated depressive symptoms starting in young adulthood is associated with worse cognitive function over midlife, with the association...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.