To investigate the effect of family caregiving on depression in the first 3 months after spinal cord injury (SCI).

A retrospective study was carried out on 76 patients diagnosed with an SCI from January 2013 to December 2016 at the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of Kyungpook National University Hospital, Korea. Clinical characteristics including age, gender, level of injury, completeness of the injury, time since injury, caregiver information, etiology, and functional data were collected through a retrospective review of medical records. Depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Patients with 14 or more points were classified as depressed and those with scores of 13 or less as non-depressed group.

Of the 76 patients, 33 were in the depressed group with an average BDI of 21.27±6.17 and 43 patients included in the non-depressed group with an average BDI of 4.56±4.20. The BDI score of patients cared by unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) was significantly higher than that of patients cared by their families (p=0.020). Univariate regression analysis showed that motor complete injury (p=0.027), UAP caregiving (p=0.022), and Ambulatory Motor Index (p=0.019) were associated with depression after SCI. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis showed that motor completeness (p=0.002) and UAP caregiving (p=0.002) were independent risk factors.

Compared with UAP, family caregivers lowered the prevalence of depression in the first 3 months after SCI.

To investigate the relationship between the buttoning test and Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test (JTHFT), and to determine the validity of using the buttoning test as a tool to evaluate hand disability in patients with stroke.

This was a retrospective study of the medical records of 151 ischemic stroke patients affecting the dominant hand. Patients underwent the buttoning test and JTHFT for their affected hand. All patients were divided into three groups depending on how quickly they fastened a button (group A, not completed; group B, slowly completed over 18 seconds; and group C, completed within 18 seconds).

The button fastening time was negatively correlated with the total score and subtest scores of the JTHFT. Patients who experienced difficulty during the buttoning test had lower mean scores in the JTHFT (group A, 28.0±23.9; group B, 62.9±21.7; group C, 75.4±13.3; p<0.0001, Jonckheere-Terpstra test). We observed significant differences in JTHFT scores among the three groups (p<0.017, Mann-Whitney U-test), although there were considerable overlaps in JTHFT scores between the groups. Significant differences were also found in the subtest scores of the JTHFT, which include fine hand motor function (writing letters, p=0.009; moving small objects, p=0.003; stacking checkers, p=0.001 between groups B and C), among the three groups.

Considering its relationship with the JTHFT and validity, the buttoning test can be considered appropriate for evaluation of hand disability in patients with stroke.