Family and friends' fears of recurrence: impact on the patient's recovery after subarachnoid hemorrhage

Covey, J; Noble, AJ; Schenk, T

Abstract

Object: Patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and their close friends and family may be excessively fearful that the patient will have a recurrence, and such fears could play a critical role in the poor recovery shown by many patients The authors examined whether these fears could account for significant variance in psychosocial outcomes. Methods: The authors prospectively studied a sample of 69 patients with SAH alongside their spouse, other family member, and/or close friend identified as their significant other (SO). The patient/SO pairs were assessed at 13 months postictus for their fears of recurrence and for health-related quality of life on the 8 domains of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey. Results: The SOs were found to be significantly more fearful of SAH recurrence than the patients. The SO's fears also explained unique variance in the patient's recovery on 4 of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey domains over and above the patient's own fears, demographic and/or neurological variables, and the patient's history of psychiatric or neurological problems. The domains affected reflected activity-based and functional aspects of the patient's quality of life as opposed to more general characteristics of their emotional well-being or physical health state. Conclusions: The patient's recovery may be compromised if their spouse, close family, and/or friends are excessively fearful about their suffering a recurrence. Perhaps the SO's fears cause them to be overprotective of the patient and to restrict their day-to-day activities. Attention must therefore be given to the experience of having a loved one suffer from an SAH, and alleviating the caregiver's fears could help to promote a better outcome for the patient.

Citation

Covey, J., Noble, A., & Schenk, T. (2013). Family and friends' fears of recurrence: impact on the patient's recovery after subarachnoid hemorrhage. Journal of neurosurgery, 119(4), 948-954. https://doi.org/10.3171/2013.5.jns121688

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Oct 1, 2013
• Deposit Date: Feb 5, 2013
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 2, 2013
• Journal: Journal of Neurosurgery
• Print ISSN: 0022-3085
• Electronic ISSN: 1933-0693
• Publisher: American Association of Neurological Surgeons
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 119
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 948-954
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3171/2013.5.jns121688
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1489823