- Title
- The unmet needs of carers of stroke survivors
- Creator
- Denham, Alexandra M. J.
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2020
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- Many people who survive a stroke become dependent on the care provided by family and friends. These informal carers are often not trained to provide the type of physical, psychological and practical support stroke survivors may need. Many carers of stroke survivors experience ongoing unmet needs, and consequently experience adverse outcomes to their quality of life, and physical and mental health. Unmet needs are defined as the gap between the patients’ needs, and the differential service provision perceived by the informal carer as necessary to manage the health of both the stroke survivor and the carer, and the services actually received. The aim of this thesis is to explore the unmet needs of carers of stroke survivors using a range of research methods. Identifying the unmet needs of informal carers, by directly engaging with carers and exploring media and resources available to, and produced by, carers will likely assist in the development of high-quality support to meet the needs of carers. Furthermore, the research in this thesis provides a platform for carers’ stories, voices and lived experiences to be heard, and open communication to be encouraged among carers, researchers, health care providers and services. This thesis by publication contains an introduction, seven papers and a discussion. The thesis provides further evidence of the unmet needs of carers of stroke survivors by identifying unmet needs within a synthesis of quantitative and qualitative studies, survey data and first-hand testimonials explored within the Hunter region and online spaces such as Google and YouTube. Several unmet needs domains were commonly identified across these studies, falling broadly into the following categories: unmet psychological and emotional needs, unmet information needs, unmet self-care needs, unmet service accessibility needs, and unmet communication/relationship needs. New evidence of factors associated with unmet needs, was provided. The survey data examined the level of unmet needs among a sample informal carers (total n=457, carers of stroke survivors within sample n=76), and factors associated with unmet needs including age, gender, country of residence and caregiving groups, were also examined. Younger carers (18 – 45 years) reported experiencing significantly higher unmet needs across the unmet needs domains than carers aged 65+. The survey data also assessed the engagement of health risk behaviours of low fruit and vegetable consumption, low physical activity, current smoking and hazardous alcohol consumption, and also the factors associated with engagement in these health risk behaviours (total n=384, carers of stroke survivors within sample n=71). The only health risk behaviour that differed significantly from the general population was the increased engagement in hazardous alcohol consumption among carers in the youngest age group (18 – 45 years), and also among carers who resided in Australia. These papers draw on data using online surveys, interviews and content produced by carers of stroke survivors in public online spaces. The discussion draws together the key findings of the thesis, and considers implications for practice and future research addressing the unmet needs of carers of stroke survivors. For example, this thesis supports improving carers’ access to support and resources to meet a range of unmet needs, and one example of such a resource includes the development of an evidence-based, online program focusing on positive behaviour change and self-management to achieve health-related goals. There is also a role for clinicians such as psychologists to provide carers telehealth support through a cost-effective web-based platform which may be accessed by carers in many locations, such as those who live remotely.
- Subject
- carers; caregivers; stroke; unmet needs; thesis by publication
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1428858
- Identifier
- uon:38662
- Rights
- Copyright 2020 Alexandra M. J. Denham
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT01 | Thesis | 20 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download | ||
| View Details Download | ATTACHMENT02 | Abstract | 286 KB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |