To Örebro University

AIM: This paper reports a study to validate and test the reliability of a questionnaire constructed to evaluate the life situation of spouses after their partners have had a stroke.

BACKGROUND: Stroke is a disease with great consequences for survivors and their families. Most survivors return home after the hospitalization and rehabilitation due to the stroke event. Relatives, primarily spouses, often feel obligated to care for the survivor at home, providing emotional support or assisting the person in activities of daily living. More specific information is needed about the spouse's life situation after the stroke event in order to develop effective supportive strategies.

METHODS: Psychometric testing of the Life Situation Questionnaire was undertaken with 99 spouses of stroke survivors. The 13-item questionnaire consists of four subscales: 'Worries', 'Powerlessness', 'Personal adjustment' and 'Social isolation'.

RESULTS: Item analysis showed that each item correlated with its own subscale (r = 0.63-0.78). The instrument had high internal consistency, with Cronbach's alphas of 0.80-0.86 and reasonable high congruent validity when correlated with a Wellbeing instrument, with a correlation of 0.59 (P = 0.001). Exploratory factor analysis confirmed the subscales, accounting for 77% of the variance.

CONCLUSION: The Life Situation Questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument, and could serve as an assessment tool after a stroke event to identify family caregivers who have problems in their life situations and need support from healthcare services.