Age, subjective stress, and depression after ischemic stroke

Abstract

The incidence of stroke among younger adults in the United States is increasing. Few studies have investigated the prevalence of depressive symptoms after stroke among different age groups or the extent to which subjective stress at the time of stroke interacts with age to contribute to post-stroke depression. The present study examined whether there exists an age gradient in survivors’ level of depressive symptoms and explored the extent to which financial, family, and health-related stress may also impact on depression. Bivariate analyses (N = 322) indicated significant differences in depression and stress by age group, as well as differences in age and stress by 3-month depression status. Linear regression analyses indicated that survivors between the ages of 25–54 and 55–64 years old had, on average, significantly higher depressive symptom scores. Those with financial, family, and health-related stress at the time of stroke, irrespective of age, also had significantly higher scores.

Update on the State of the Evidence for Stroke Family Caregiver and Dyad Interventions

“…13 Two studies included caregivers of survivors who were 60 years of age or older, 13,15 resulting in limited generalizability for survivors who are in early to mid-life and experiencing the unique stressors that accompany those life stages. 21 Six countries were represented (USA, 9,14,18 Canada, 10 UK, 11 Germany, 12,13 Netherlands, 16 Korea 15,17 ), many with drastically different healthcare systems and cultural norms around illness recovery and caregiving, raising further questions about generalizability; however, these studies provide a more global perspective.…”

Prevalence of pre-stroke depression and its association with post-stroke depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…After excluding duplicates, our combined searches identified a total of 11884 studies. A total of 29 studies (Aben et al, 2006;;Bara et al, (2016); Caeiro et al, 2006;Castellanos-Pinedo et al, 2011;De Ryck et al, 2013;Dou et al, 2015;Gillen et al, 2001;Hackett et al, 2006;Jorgensen et al, 2016;Kim et al, 2014;Kocer et al, 2011;Kootker et al, 2016;Liu et al, 2017;McCarthy et al, 2016;Ng et al, 1995;Paolucci et al, 2006;Pohjasvarra et al, 1998;Prisnie et al, 2016;Schottke et al, 2015;Sienkiewicz-Jarosz et al, 2010;Singh et al, 2000;Slater et al, 2012;Tang et al, 2005;Tang et al, 2011;Tse et al, 2017;Verdelho et al, 2004;Vermeer et al, 2017;White et al, 2014;Zhang et al, 2010 ) met our inclusion criteria (164993 patients; see Table 1). We requested additional data from seven authors and received data from one (Acknowledgements).…”

“…However, one study was removed from analysis due to a lack of symmetry of log values. (McCarthy et al, 2016) This left eight studies with a combined sample size of 37483 for meta-analysis. Random-effects analysis suggested a pooled odds ratio of 3.03 (95% CI of 2.30-3.98) ( Figure 5).…”

“…This stark variability in reported rates may in part reflect differing assessment methods employed. Indeed, when utilsing the same patient cohort, but adopting differing pre-stroke depresison assessment methods, McCarthy et al, (2016) and Wulsin et al, (2001) reported differing rates (13% vs 52%).…”

An analysis of depressive symptoms in stroke survivors: verification of a moderating effect of demographic characteristics

“…Family support has been reported as a protective factor for major depression in chronic diseases such as cancer [38]. Research has similarly shown that depressive symptoms are negatively correlated with social support [17]; thus, it is logical to suggest that stroke patients who do not have a spouse might be more depressed than those with a spouse.…”