PURPOSE: This study is used to investigate the correlation among a stroke patient family's health, burden and quality of life.
METHOD
Data was collected from one hundred twenty family care-givers registered at K and H Hospital in Seoul. Questionnaire data was drawn up by personal interviews aided by the staff nurses. The analyses of collected data are based on the rate of 100 percentage to the average, t-test, ANOVA, DMR, Pearson Correlation.
RESULT
(1) The influential factors on physical health proved to be age, sex, academic career, matrimonial status, present occupation, economic situation, the relationship with the patient, the patient-caring term, and the family-formation. The psychological health issues were age, final academic career, matrimonial status, the relation with patient and the family-formation. Burdens were shown to be age, matrimonial status, the relation with patient, and the patient-caring term. The quality of life was determined by age, final academic career, matrimonial status, and the relationship with the patient, the patient-caring term, and the family-formation. (2) The rate of the physical condition was 2.87, the psychological condition 2.43, the sense of burden 3.08, and the quality of life was 2.42. (3) The rate of correlation between the burden and the quality of life was (r=−.547), the psychological health and the burden was (r=−.531), the physical health and the burden was (r=−.263), physical health and quality of life was (r=.301), psychological health, and quality of life was (r=.413).
CONCLUSION
It follows from this study that there is a very close correlation among the stroke patient family's health, the burden, and quality of life. Therefore it is necessary that we should find various nursing intervention ways in order to mitigate the burden of family when caring for the stroke patients.

This was a descriptive study clarifying the factors affecting family caregivers' sense of well-being. This study was conducted with 131 caregivers using structured self-reporting questionnaires and directly interviewing adult patients who had been under treatment in two general hospitals. The hospitals were located in M city from Aug. 10, 2000 until Sep. 2, 2000. The collected data were analyzed using SAS PC+ program, and the data were tested using descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson's Correlation Coefficient, and Stepwise Multiple Regression. The results of this study are as follows; 1) The variables affecting the caregivers' sense of burden were age (F=3.76, p=.0063), education level (F=4.67, p=.0015), monthly income (F=2.49, p=.0466), amount of assistance provided (F=4.19, p=.0037), and the relationship with patient before disease (F=9.49, p=.0001). 2) The variables affecting caregivers' sense of well-being were age (F=9.54, p=.0001), residing with patient (t=11.38, p=.0010), the period of caregiving (F=10.52, p= .0001), education level (F= 2.79, p=.0290), monthly income (F=3.04, p=.0196), and relationship with patient before disease (F= 10.51, p=.0001). Also, all of the variables which showed statistical significance. 3) In viewing the relationship between activities of daily living (ADL) and the senses of burden and well-being, a negative relation- ship between activities of daily living (ADL) and a sense of burden was found (r=-.640, p=.000). However, the relationship between activities of daily living (ADL) and a sense of well-being had a positive correlation (r= .232, p=.008). Also the relationship between the sense of burden and the sense of well-being was revealed to have a negative correlation (r=-.614, p=.000). 4) A sense of burden was the most important indicator to the well-being of the caregivers who took care of stroke patients (R2 =.36). In addition to this, living with the patient (45%), activities of daily living (51%), relationship with patient before disease (53%), and the family's monthly income accounted for 56% of the sense of well-being of the caregivers.