Relationship between Perceived Social Support and Health Behavior in Stroke Patients: the Mediating Role of Recurrence Risk Perception

Abstract

Background Health behavior is a crucial tool for secondary stroke prevention. However, stroke patients have low health behavior. Understanding the factors associated with health behavior influence them is essential to improve their health behavior.Objectives To explore the association between perceived social support and health behavior among stroke patients and the mediating role of recurrence risk perception in this relationship.Methods 254 stroke patients were investigated from June 2021 to August 2021. Demographics, recurrence risk perception of stroke scale, perceived social support scale (PSSS), and health behavior scale for stroke patients (HBS-SP) were used. Correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between the three variables. The PROCESS macro was used to conduct the mediation analysis. The study was compliant with the STROBE checklist.Results The valid questionnaires were 250 (effective response rate: 98.4%). High recurrence risk perception and high perceived social support were associated with better health behavior (all P < 0.001). Recurrence risk perception mediated the relationship between perceived social support and health behavior. The mediating effect was 18.55% of the total effect (0.137/0.737).Conclusion Perceived social support and recurrence risk perception are promoters of health behavior. Furthermore, the effect of perceived social support on health behavior was partly mediated by recurrence risk perception. Thus, to facilitate long-lasting health behavior, it is vital to provide social support or knowledge of recurrence risk for stroke patients.Practice implications: Healthcare workers and family members can help stroke patients build confidence in the recovery, establish the accurate perception of recurrence risk and improve their health behavior by providing them with multifaceted social support.