Effect of Informational Support on Anxiety in Family Caregivers of Patients with Hemiplegic Stroke Azim Azizi,* Mahnaz Khatiban,† Zhale Mollai,‡ and Younes Mohammadi,§ Background: Brain stroke causes physical and mental disabilities, as well as depen- dence on one’s family. In such cases, the families suffer from severe crisis and anxi- ety due to the unexpected incidence of the disease and unawareness of the associated consequences. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of informational support on the level of anxiety in family care- givers of hemiplegic stroke patients. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed on 78 family caregivers of hemiplegic stroke patients admitted to the Neurology Department of Farshchian Hospital in Hamadan, Iran, over 8 months. The subjects were selected through convenience sampling method and divided into two groups of intervention (n = 40) and control (n = 38). Intervention started from the third day of hospitalization and continued until the eleventh day. During this period, information about the ward, equipment, patient status, and care procedure at home, was provided for the intervention group individually and in groups. On the other hand, the control group only received the routine care. Anxiety level of caregivers was measured through the Spielberger scale both before and after the intervention. Data analysis was performed in SPSS software (version 16). Results: Based on the results, both groups were similar in terms of demographic var- iables (P > 0.05). Moreover, there was no significant difference between the two groups regarding the mean level of state and trait anxiety before the intervention (P > 0.05). However, after intervention, the mean level of state and trait anxiety of the intervention group showed a significant reduction in comparison to that of the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: According to the findings, it can be concluded that informational support is effective in reducing the state and trait anxiety in fam- ily caregivers of stroke patients. Therefore, it is suggested that nurses consider infor- mational support as an important nursing intervention during hospitalization. Keywords: Anxiety—Stroke—Informational support—Family caregivers—Nurse © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Introduction Brain stroke is the most common cause of permanent disability worldwide and has a serious negative impact on the lives of patients and their families. 1,2 Due to the unexpected and sudden occurrence of stroke, the family members of the patients inflicted with this condition are confronted with adverse consequences. Accordingly, they should adapt themselves to this condition and its associ- ated complications. Moreover, they should play the role of a caregiver, which causes shock, anxiety, and depres- sion in the patient family. 1,3,4 Nowadays, due to the scarcity of nursing staff and the nurses’ overwhelming workload, family members pro- vide physical, psychological, and support services to stroke patients, alongside healthcare professionals, from From the *PhD, Assistant Professor, Chronic Diseases (Home Care) Research Centre, Malayer Nursing School, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; †PhD, Professor, Mother & Child Care Research Center. Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; ‡M.Sc in Critical Care Nursing, Student Research Committee, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; and §PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran. Received May 2, 2020; revision received May 27, 2020; accepted June 1, 2020. Corresponding author. E-mail: zhanet2811@gmail.com. 1052-3057/$ - see front matter © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2020.105020 Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, Vol. 29, No. 00 (), 2020: 105020 1