Intervention for Stroke Survivors and Their Spousal Caregivers

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

160 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2001-07-31

Study Completion Date

2005-09-30

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

This is an interdisciplinary, intervention study with stroke survivors and their spousal caregivers after discharge from a rehabilitation unit. It will determine whether couples receiving home visits from nurses and therapists over a 6 month period demonstrate better function and less psychological distress than couples who receive information by mail. All couples are visited every 3 months by a nurse who assesses their physical and psychosocial functioning.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

This 5-year randomized intervention study uses an advanced practice nurse, with the assistance of an interdisciplinary rehabilitation team, to provide education, support, skill training, counseling, and social and community linkages to stroke survivors and their spouses for 6 months post-hospital discharge. The intervention will be delivered using previously tested protocol guidelines. Stroke survivors and their spousal caregivers will be assessed to determine whether or not the intervention is successful in (1) improving function, quality of life and perceived health and decreasing depression in the stroke survivor; (2) decreasing unplanned clinic and emergency room visits, reducing rehospitalizations and admissions to nursing homes; (3) decreasing depression, burden, stress and improving the health of spousal caregivers and (4) decreasing cytokine imbalances related to the chronic stress of caregiving among spouses. Assessments will be made at baseline and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-discharge on the stroke survivor and on the spousal caregiver by a nurse who is masked to the group assignment. To determine the effect of the intervention on cytokine imbalance, the researchers will: (1) generate cytokines from cell cultures (mitogen-induced and antigen specific T-cell lines) and (2) analyze culture supernatants and plasma samples for their immunoregulatory cytokine content. The laboratory technician and immunologist will be masked to the intervention group. All covariates (i.e., sociodemographic characteristics, severity of the stroke, dyadic relationships, family functioning, co-morbid health conditions, etc.) will be evaluated to determine which are significantly related to the outcomes and only those will be included in the model. Hierarchical Linear Models (HLM) will be used to model change over time for individual participants using a polynomial form. Depending on the nature of the change function, individual parameter estimates of the intercept, slope, and if necessary, curvature will be compared across groups.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Cerebrovascular Accident

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

OTHER

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Psychoeducation, Counseling and Skill Training

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

Patient experienced a stroke within the last year Age 50 or older Going home with a spouse or committed partner Needs daily assistance Live within 50 miles fo the TMC Can be reached by telephone Able to understand English -

Exclusion Criteria

Admitted from or being discharged to a nursing home Disability requiring total assistance Lethargic, obtunded or comatose Other significant CNS disease (ie, severe Parkinson's) Severe psychopathology Globally aphasic Other major illness that would interfere with rehabilitation (ie, advanced cancer) -

Minimum Eligible Age

50 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Sharon K. Ostwald, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston

Locations

Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Houston, Texas, United States

Site Status

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

United States

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Crocker TF, Brown L, Lam N, Wray F, Knapp P, Forster A. Information provision for stroke survivors and their carers. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021 Nov 23;11(11):CD001919. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD001919.pub4.

Reference Type DERIVED

PMID: 34813082 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

NR035316

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id