The lived experience of family caregivers providing care to a parent who has had a stroke in Cameroon: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Introduction: The brutal occurrence of a stroke upsets the life of a parent, within his or her family and circle of friends.
Context: The lack of medical-social interventions and support from a health professional for parents who have suffered a stroke forces family caregivers to provide care for their parents.
The aim of this study is to describe and understand the subjective lived experience of family caregivers of stroke patients in such a context.
Method: Using a clinical method and interpretative phenomenological analysis, eight clinical interviews were conducted at home with four family caregivers (two interviews per caregiver) from two separate families (two caregivers per family), recruited at the neurology unit in the internal medicine department at Yaoundé military hospital.
Results: Throughout the whole care process, family caregivers have a difficult experience, with painful affects and psychological fatigue. They are forced into subjugation by unconscious alliances through the quality of the bond they have with the parent who has had the stroke. The strengthening of this bond enables them to avoid the risk of psychological and relational collapse.