ABSTRACT
Background: Stroke is one of the leading causes of severe disability and functional limitation, which are reasons for being dependent on their family for daily activities and participation in social affairs. After discharge from the hospital, most stroke survivors require physical, psychosocial, and financial support from caregivers at home, which is one of the most stressful events for families. The stroke survivors and their caregivers may influence each other during the caregiving process and social life. The stroke survivor's disability and depressive symptoms affect the quality of life of the survivor and their caregivers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of depression among caregivers of stroke survivors. Methods: An institution-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in Amhara regional state tertiary hospitals. A systematic random sampling technique was employed to select 424 participants. The data were collected using an interviewer-administered and chart-reviewed structured questionnaire. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was used to assess depression. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with depression. Adjusting the odds ratio with the corresponding 95% confidence interval and variables with a P-value < 0.05 was considered significantly associated with depression. Results: The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was 65.6% (95% CI: 60.8-69.8). Being female, older than 40, having no formal education, having a low family monthly income, being the son or daughter, and spending more than six hours per day were associated with depression. Conclusion: We found that depression was prevalent among primary caregivers of stroke survivors. To reduce the risk of developing depression, policymakers should fully recognize the role of caregivers in caring for stroke patients. More attention should be given to caregivers who are female, elderly, have a low income, are sons or daughters, and spend a long time caring per day.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Despite the expansion of the physiotherapy program over the past decade in Ethiopia, there is modest knowledge of the extent of physiotherapy students' satisfaction. This study was conducted at the Department of physiotherapy, University of Gondar in Ethiopia. PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to assess the satisfaction of students with the teaching and learning process and to identify the factors influencing course satisfaction amongst physiotherapy students. This questionnaire survey investigated the effects of demographic variables, perceptions of satisfaction, and education-related parameters on the level of student satisfaction with their educational experience. METHODS: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted by recruiting entry-level physiotherapy students during 2018. Data were collected from a sample of 173 physiotherapy students using structured and validated self-administered Students Satisfaction Questionnaires. Logistic regression model was used to identify factors significantly associated with student satisfaction in the teaching and learning process. RESULTS: Out of 173 participants, most of them 112 (64.7%) were male and the majority of them (37%) were third-year students. The overall student satisfaction was 33.1% for all categories. Awareness about physiotherapy education before enrolling into the physiotherapy educational program (AOR 6.3, 95% CI: 2.2-17.8), year of study (AOR 0.12, 95% CI: 0.02-0.67) and availability of classroom furniture (AOR 0.05, 95% CI: 0.04-0.66) were statistically significant associated factors for student satisfaction. CONCLUSION: The overall student's satisfaction on the learning and teaching process was low, in particular, the satisfaction for the clinical training is also below par, which is a major concern. Area of intervention and endorsements identified by this study was information about physiotherapy before joining the university, course duration, and availability of the classroom furniture. The efforts to raise physiotherapy student satisfaction in Ethiopia shall focus on creating awareness of the physiotherapy education program at the pre-college level and improving classroom facilities in the first place.
