Quality of life and its correlates in caregivers of stroke survivors from a Nigerian population

The study aimed at determining the quality of life (QOL) of caregivers of stroke survivors in a Nigeria population and some patient and caregiver-related variables that may be associated with it. A survey of the QOL of volunteering informal caregivers of stroke survivors in purposively selected tertiary health centres from South-Eastern Nigeria was done using the SF-12 questionnaire. Caregivers rated their QOL fairly well. Older age, female gender and closeness in relationship to survivor were caregivers' variables that were significantly related to poorer QOL scores. Being a woman close relative is associated with lower mental health scores while being an older close relative contributed to lower physical health score (P < 0.05). Caregivers' scores on the physical and mental health domains correlated moderately with each other (r = 0.52) and highly with their overall QOL scores (r = 0.81 and 0.88). Caring for stroke survivors in Nigeria seems to have adverse effects on the QOL of closer relatives who are either women or older. There is a need for clinicians to help those caregivers at risk find ways of improving and optimizing their QOL.