The Effect of a Family-centered Empowerment Model on the Quality of life of Patients with Stroke

Background: Stroke affects the quality of life of patients and their families. Participation of the family in caring for these patients is inevitable. Implementing an empowerment program to increase knowledge, motivation, self-esteem and self-efficacy of patients leads to an improve in the quality of their life. Accordingly, this study aimed at determining the effect of a program based on the family-centered empowerment model on the quality of life of patients with stroke. Methods: This quasi-experimental clinical trial was performed on 100 patients with stroke in Shahid Beheshty hospital of Kashan- Iran. The subjects were first recruited purposefully and then were randomly assigned into experimental (n=50) and control (n=50) groups. The experimental group received a family-centered empowerment training in 8 sessions, while the control group received routine care. Data was collected by the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life (SSQoL) scale before the intervention, at the end of the eighth session, and also one and two months after the last training session and were analyzed by SPSS software v. 16 using Chi-square, repeated measures ANOVA and t-test. Results: Comparison of the experimental and control groups showed that the total score of quality of life is statistically significant immediately after the intervention, and one and two months later (p <0.05). Repeated measures ANOVA showed significant interaction between group and time in the total score of quality of life and some of its dimensions (energy, family role, social role, speaking, mobility, self-care, upper limb function, and work and activity) (p≤ 0.05). Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that family-centered empowerment model can improve the quality of life of patients with stroke. It is recommended to use this model in the educational program of these patients.