Abstract
Objective
To assess the association between perceived stigma and discrimination and caregiver
strain, caregiver well-being, and patient community reintegration.
Design
A cross-sectional survey study of 564 informal caregivers of U.S. military service
veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who experienced traumatic brain injuries
or polytrauma (TBI/PT).
Setting
Care settings of community-dwelling former inpatients of U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers.
Participants
Caregivers of former inpatients (N=564), identified through next-of-kin records and
subsequent nominations.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
Caregiver strain, depression, anxiety, loneliness, and self-esteem; as well as care
recipient community reintegration, a key aspect of TBI/PT rehabilitation.
Results
Family stigma was associated with strain, depression, anxiety, loneliness, lower self-esteem,
and less community reintegration. Caregiver stigma-by-association was associated with
strain, depression, anxiety, loneliness, and lower self-esteem. Care recipient stigma
was associated with caregiver strain, depression, anxiety, loneliness, lower self-esteem,
and less community reintegration.
Conclusions
Perceived stigma may be a substantial source of stress for caregivers of U.S. military
veterans with TBI/PT, and may contribute to poor outcomes for the health of caregivers
and for the community reintegration of the veterans for whom they provide care.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
ADLs (activities of daily living), IADLs (instrumental activities of daily living), PRC (Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center), PT (polytrauma), TBI (traumatic brain injuries), VA (Veterans Affairs)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 02, 2018
Footnotes
Supported by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Research and Development, and a grant from the Health Services Research and Development Service (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs) (grant no. SDR-07-044). The findings and conclusions presented in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Health Services Research and Development Service. The sponsor was not involved in any aspect of the study’s design and conduct; data collection, management, analysis, or interpretation of data; or preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript.
All study procedures were approved by the Institutional Review Board of the respective Veterans Affairs Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers and their affiliated universities.
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
