Psychosocial Resiliency is Associated with Lower Emotional Distress among Dyads of Patients and their Informal Caregivers in the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit

• Published in: Journal of critical care Vol. 36; pp. 154 - 159
• Main Authors: Shaffer, Kelly M., MS, Riklin, Eric, BA, Jacobs, Jamie M., PhD, Rosand, Jonathan, MD, MSc, Vranceanu, Ana-Maria, PhD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-12-2016; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adult; Aged; Anger; Anxiety; Anxiety - psychology; Brain Injuries, Traumatic - psychology; Brain Neoplasms - psychology; Caregivers; Caregivers - psychology; Coping; Critical Care; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression; Depression - psychology; Emotions; Enrollments; Female; Humans; Informal caregiver; Intensive care; Intensive Care Units; Interpersonal Relations; Intracranial Hemorrhages - psychology; Male; Mental depression; Mental health; Middle Aged; Mindfulness; Mortality; Neuroscience ICU; Neurosciences; Patients; Resilience; Resilience, Psychological; Self Efficacy; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Stroke - psychology; United States > US; anxiety; Neuroscience ICU; depression; informal caregiver; anger; resilience; Anger; Informal caregiver; Depression; Anxiety; Resilience
• ISSN: 0883-9441; 1557-8615
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2016.07.010

Abstract Purpose To examine the associations of patients' and their informal caregivers' psychosocial resiliency factors with their own and their partners' emotion domains (distress, anxiety, depression, anger) following admission to the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit (Neuro-ICU). Materials and Methods 83 dyads of patients (total N = 87) and their informal caregivers (total N = 99) participated in this observational, cross-sectional study by self-reporting demographics and measures of resiliency factors (mindfulness [CAMS-R], coping [MOCS-A], intimate bond [IBM], self-efficacy [patients: GSE; caregivers: CSES-R]) and emotion domains (ET4) within 2 weeks of Neuro-ICU admission. Results There were no differences between patients' and caregivers' levels of psychosocial resiliency, distress, or anxiety. Patients reported greater depression and anger relative to their caregivers. Overall, roughly half of patients (50.6%) and caregivers (42.4%) reported clinically significant emotional distress. Patients' and caregivers' own psychosocial resiliency factors were associated with their own, but not their partner's, emotion domains. Conclusions Findings of high distress among both patients and caregivers at admission emphasize the importance of attending to the mental health of both patients and caregivers in the Neuro-ICU. As modifiable psychosocial resiliency factors were associated with emotion domains for both patients and caregivers, interventions to enhance these factors may ameliorate emotional distress among these vulnerable populations.