ArticleAnnals of intensive care2025
Psychological symptoms, quality of life and dyadic relations in family members of intensive care survivors: a multicentre, prospective longitudinal cohort study.
Article in Annals of intensive care, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effects of eHealth interventions on psychological outcomes of post intensive care syndrome-family: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- The FICUS cluster randomized controlled trial of a family support intervention in adult intensive care units: mental health and family functioning outcomes.Intensive care medicine · 2026Trial
- Beyond the ICU: family resilience and emotional turmoil after intensive care - a qualitative study.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2026Article
- Quality of Life in Intensive Care Unit Survivors-Family Member Dyads: A Conceptual Framework and Longitudinal Study Protocol.Nursing in critical care · 2026Article
- Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Intensive Care Unit Consultation.Journal of palliative medicine · 2026Article
- Family engagement in intensive care: perceptions, barriers, and facilitators among nurses in Saudi Arabia.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Comparison of Mental Health and Quality of Life Symptom Networks in Adolescents Exposed and Not Exposed to Cyberbullying: Evidence from Chinese High School Students.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Parental resilience and child quality of life following paediatric hospitalisation: a prospective cohort study.BMJ paediatrics open · 2025Article
- Pawsitive Care: Canine-Assisted Intervention for Anxiety in ICU Patients and Family Members: A Single-Center, Single-Arm Study.Critical care explorations · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThere is scarce literature evaluating long term psychological or Quality of Life (QoL) outcomes in family members of ICU survivors, who have not experienced invasive ventilation. The objective was to compare long-term psychological symptoms and QoL outcomes in family members of intubated versus non-intubated ICU survivors and to evaluate dyadic relationships between paired family members and survivors.
methodsProspective, multicentre cohort study among four medical-surgical ICUs in Australia. Adult family members of ICU survivors and family-survivor dyads had follow-up assessments (3 and 12 months after ICU discharge), using Impact of Event Scale-Revised; Depression, Anxiety Stress Scales-21; EQ-5D-5L. Dyadic relationships examined associations of psychological symptoms or QoL impairments.
resultsOf 144 family members (75% female, 54% partners/spouses) recruited, 59% cared for previously intubated survivors. Overall, 83% (110/132) of eligible family members completed ≥ 1 follow-up. In family members of intubated vs non-intubated survivors, clinically significant psychological symptoms (PTSD/depression/anxiety) were reported by 48% vs 33% at 3-months (p = 0.15); and 39% vs 25% at 12-months (p = 0.23). Family self-rated their QoL with a mean score of 83 (SD 13) on a visual analogue scale (range 0-100), and > 30% reported problems in pain/discomfort or anxiety/depression domains at 12-months. Family members were more likely to have persistent psychological symptoms of PTSD [OR 4.9, 95% CI (1.47-16.1), p = 0.01] or depression [OR 14.6, 95% CI (2.9-72.6), p = 0.001]; or QoL domain problems with pain/discomfort [OR 6.5, 95% CI (1.14-36.8), p = 0.03] or anxiety/depression [OR 3.5, 95% CI (1.02-12.1), p = 0.04], when the paired survivor also reported the same symptoms.
conclusionsAlmost one-third of the family members of ICU survivors reported persistent psychological symptoms and QoL problems at 12-months. There was a noticeable dyad effect with family members more likely to have persistent symptoms of PTSD, depression, and problems in QoL domains when the paired ICU survivors experienced similar symptoms. The family members of non-intubated ICU survivors had an equal propensity to develop long-term psychological distress and should be included in long-term outcome studies. Future recovery intervention trials should be aimed at ICU family-survivor dyads. Trial registration ACTRN12615000880549.
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