TY - JOUR PY - 2021// TI - Spinal cord injury/disorder function, affiliate stigma, and caregiver burden in Turkey JO - PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation A1 - Pugh, Mickeal Jr A1 - Perrin, Paul B. A1 - Kuzu, Duygu SP - ePub EP - ePub VL - ePub IS - ePub N2 - INTRODUCTION: How spinal cord injury and disorder (SCI/D) function, caregiver affiliate stigma, and caregiver depression and burden are associated has not been adequately studied. In Turkey, a region with a developing healthcare infrastructure, SCI/D caregivers may have a higher responsibility of care given limited resources and may experience greater psychological distress associated with caregiving than in more developed healthcare systems.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether SCI/D function, caregiver affiliate stigma, and caregiver burden and depression in Turkey are associated with each other.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey design. SETTING: Participants were recruited from the Turkish Spinal Cord Injury Foundation and from the SCI/D service at Istanbul Physical Rehabilitation Hospital. PARTICIPANTS: 82 SCI/D caregivers in Turkey. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Barthel Index, Affiliate Stigma Scale, Zarit Burden Interview, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9.

RESULTS: In an initial path model using bootstrapping, SCI/D function did not predict affiliate stigma, and once this path was trimmed, a final path model suggested that SCI/D function and affiliate stigma predicted caregiver burden, which in turn predicted caregiver depression. Burden partially mediated the effects of both SCI/D function and affiliate stigma on caregiver depression. All paths in the final model were statistically significant, and the fit indices suggested good fit.

CONCLUSIONS: Because affiliate SCI/D function and stigma exerted a cascade of statistical effects across caregiver burden and depression, interventions should be developed and tested to help caregivers cope with low SCI/D function and combat affiliate stigma, preventing it from exerting harmful effects. Previously developed caregiver interventions should be translated and culturally adapted for a Turkish context, given that the burden and depression outcomes these interventions target are highly relevant for Turkish SCI/D caregivers. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 1934-1482 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pmrj.12548 ID - ref1 ER -