Perceived stress and social support needs among primary family caregivers of ICU Patients in Taiwan

Abstract

Background: Family caregivers of intensive care unit (ICU) patients may experience distress due to their care recipients' unexpected ICU hospitalization. Social support in coping with stress has been discussed from different cultural perspectives, but social support does not seem to buffer stress for Chinese people.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore stress perception and social support needs and their associations among Taiwanese primary family caregivers of patients admitted to the ICU for the first time.

Methods: This descriptive correlational study used the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R), the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (NSSQ), and structured interviews to explore stress perception and social support needs among Taiwanese primary family caregivers of patients admitted to the ICU.

Results: The Taiwanese primary family caregivers (N = 71) perceived considerable social support, but they still experienced high stress, either daily life stress or ICU-related event stress. Most of them required extra support, such as discussion of medical conditions, disease treatment information and psychological support, even though they had social resources to assist them.

Conclusion: ICU health professionals should actively inquire about family caregivers' actual needs, even when family caregivers perceive considerable social support. Tailor-made interventions should be provided to assist family members in coping with stress. Further research should also explore the role of social support in stress and coping processes in Asian contexts due to cultural variance.

Keywords: Family caregiver; Family needs; Intensive care; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Social support; Stress.