Determinants of Quality of Life in the Acute Stage Following Stroke

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the factors influence the quality of life (QOL) of survivors of an acute stroke.MethodsFor 422 stroke patients, assessments were made within two weeks of the index event. QOL was measured using the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Abbreviated form (WHOQOL-BREF), which has four domains related to physical factors, psychological factors, social relationships, and environmental context. Associations of each four WHOQOL-BREF domain score with socio-demographic characteristics (age, sex, education, marital status, religion, and occupation), stroke severity (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale), physical disability (Barthel Index), cognitive function (Mini-Mental Status Examination: MMSE), grip strength, and psychological distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale depression and anxiety subscale: HADS-D and HADS-A) were investigated using the linear regression models.ResultsHigher physical domain scores were independently associated with higher MMSE scores, stronger hand-grip strength, and lower HADS-D and HADS-A scores; higher psychological domain scores were independently associated with higher educational level, higher MMSE scores, and lower HADS-D and HADS-A scores; higher social relationships domain scores were independently associated with lower HADS-D and HADS-A scores; and higher environmental domain scores were independently associated with higher educational level, higher MMSE scores, and lower HADS-D scores.ConclusionPsychological distress and impaired cognitive function were independently associated with lower QOL in patients with acute stroke. However, stroke severity, physical disability and other socio-demographic factors were less significantly associated with QOL. These findings underscore the importance of psychological interventions for improving QOL during the acute phase following stroke.

The Behavioural Outcomes of Anxiety scale (BOA): A preliminary validation in stroke survivors

“…Post‐stroke anxiety has received ‘substantially less attention' than depression (Campbell Burton et al ., ; De Wit et al ., ). However, such neglect is unjustified, not only because the condition itself is distressing but also because it is associated with adverse outcomes: increased disabling health conditions (Moser & Dracup, ; Moser et al ., ); decreased quality of life (Ahlsiö, Britton, Murray, & Theorell, ; Astrom, ; Donnellan, Hickey, Hevey, & O'Neill, ; Jeong et al ., ; Raju, Sarma, & Pandian, ); greater social isolation (Astrom, ); and reduced participation and functional ability (Astrom, ; D'Alisa, Baido, Mauro, & Miscio, ). In this context it is not surprising that attention to anxiety after stroke has been recommended in clinical guidance (Royal College of Physicians, ).…”

Botulinum toxin type A combined with cervical spine manual therapy for masseteric hypertrophy in a patient with Alzheimer-type dementia: a case report

“…The range of this instrument is between 0 and 60, with lower scores indicating more severe disability. 19 For mouth opening, the patient in a supine position was asked to "open the mouth as wide as possible without causing pain." 20 At the end position of mouth opening, the distance between upper and lower central incisors was measured in millimeters.…”

Health-related quality of life in stroke patients questionnaire, short version (HRQOLISP-40): validation for its use in Colombia

“…Stroke survivors are at a greater risk of developing emotional symptoms that can interfere with their rehabilitation process and affect their recovery [16, 17]. In addition, issues related to patients’ individual perceptions of status, position in life, value systems, expectations, etc.…”

“…In addition, issues related to patients’ individual perceptions of status, position in life, value systems, expectations, etc. loom large, requiring individualised psychosocial interventions to be implemented with caution [16, 18, 19]. …”