THE EFFECT OF HOME CARE EDUCATION TO CAREGIVERS ON DEPRESSION AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN STROKE PATIENTS IN IMAM KHOMEINI EDUCATIONAL AND TREATMENT CENTER, URMIA, 2019-2020

Stroke can lead to post-stroke depression, which has severe negative effects on
the quality of life of the patients. Post-stroke depression and quality of life may have interactions with
each other. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of home care education to caregivers on
depression and quality of life in stroke patients in Imam Khomeini educational and treatment center,
Urmia, 2019-2020.
Materials & Methods: The present study is a clinical trial in which a pre-test and post-test design with
a control and test group was used. The sample size was 66 eligible patients who were randomly divided
into two equal groups of intervention and control. The demographic information form of patients and
their caregivers was completed by reviewing the records and interviews, and all the subjectsunderwent
a pre-test to assess depression and quality of life using the Beck Depression Inventory (Second Edition)
and the stroke-specific quality of life questionnaire. The intervention included conducting home care
training for caregivers in four 60-minute sessions, once a week by the researcher at the patients' home
by face-to-face method, with discussions and questions. Post-test was performed one month after the
intervention in the intervention and control groups to assess depression and quality of life using previous
questionnaires.
Results: The findings showed that before the intervention, the two groups did not have a statistically
significant difference (p = 0.981), but after the intervention, the two groups had a statistically significant
difference in depression scores. In the intervention group, depression score decreased from 39.45 before
the intervention to 22.52 after the intervention (p <0.001), while in the control group, this trend was
almost unchanged and constant. The results also showed that before the intervention the two groups did
not have a statistically significant difference in the quality of life score (p = 0.471) but the two groups
had a statistically significant difference after the intervention in quality of life scores. The quality of life
score in the intervention group increased from 118.58 before the intervention to the 183.97 after the
intervention (p <0.001), while this trend remained almost unchanged in the control group.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, home care training for caregivers is effective in
reducing depression and improving the quality of life in stroke patients