Anxiety and information use in family members of brain injured clients

Abstract

Whilst patients are in hospital, their families are expected to understand and remember complex information from the medical team. Previous studies have shown that high levels of anxiety impair a person’s ability to interpret complex information and memory recall. It is unknown if family members experience anxiety whilst the patient is in rehabilitation. The study aimed to determine if family members experienced anxiety, and whether there was a significant correlation between anxiety and the length of time the client was admitted to the rehabilitation facility; length of time since the client’s injury; the FIM measurement of the patient; as well as the perception of received information by the treating team. A family representative participated by completing the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and an Information Checklist on three separate occasions during the patient’s stay in a rehabilitation hospital. Family members were found to be anxious throughout the period of rehabilitation, with a decreasing trend in the average scores of the HADS assessment. An increasing trend was noted in the satisfaction of information offered by the treating team. No significant correlation could be found between the family members’ anxiety and the motor or cognitive improvement in the patient – thus indicating that a strong possibility exists that the factors influencing the family members’ anxiety are wide spread and diverse.