QUALITY OF LIFE AFTER STROKE.
Contributors: University Of Illinois At Chicago, Health Sciences Center.
Published: 1990
Number of pages: 169
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The major purposes of this study were: (a) to assess overall and domain quality of life of individuals with a stroke of one to three years duration, and (b) to examine the relationship between background variables, illness-related variables, environmental variables, coping processes, and quality of life. Additionally, coping strategies were described. A cross-sectional exploratory design was used to achieve the purposes of the study.

Eighty six subjects residing in noninstitutional settings and with a stroke of 12 to 33 months duration were interviewed. Thirty-eight percent of the variance in quality of life was explained by depression, satisfaction with social support, and functional status. A thirty percent prevalence of depression was found in this sample; a significantly higher mean depression score was found in the group with right hemispheric lesions than those with left brain lesions. The mean overall quality of life score was higher than that reported for healthy and chronically ill groups. The mean family quality of life subscale score was significantly higher than scores for health and functioning socioeconomic status and psychological/spiritual subscales. The mean for the health and functioning subscale was significantly lower than the psychological/spiritual subscale.

A subsample of 51 subjects were asked to respond to semistructured questions related to cognitive appraisal and coping. Findings showed that subjects appraising the stroke as primarily benign, positive, or challenging perceived quality of life as significantly higher than did those who appraised life with stroke as predominantly negative. Thirty-seven (72.5%) of the subgroup used both problem-focused and emotion-focused strategies to cope with stroke-related stresses.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-05, Section: B, page: 2287.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO, HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER, 1990.

School code: 0806.