Background: Stroke is one of the mo

Background: Stroke is one of the most prevalent causes of adult disability and handicap.
Informal caregivers play an important role in poststroke care. However,
informal caregivers may experience strain, which threatens the recovery of
stroke subjects. This study aimed to describe changes in strain experienced
by informal caregivers from 3 to 6 months after the stroke, and identify the
predicting factors.
Methods: We recruited pairs of inpatients with ischemic stroke and informal caregivers
from a tertiary referral hospital and interviewed them at 3 and 6 months after
the stroke. Caregiver strain was evaluated using the Caregiver Strain Index
(CSI), with a CSI