Predictors of poststroke quality of life in older Chinese adults

Acute clinical outcomes predict both generic and specific health-related quality of life six and 12 months after stroke: A one-year prospective study developed in a middle-income country

OBJECTIVE

To identify acute predictors of generic and specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) six and 12 months after stroke in individuals from a middle-income country.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This was a prospective study. The dependent outcomes assessed during six and 12 months after stroke included both generic and specific HRQoL (Short Form Health Survey-36 [SF-36] and stroke-specific quality of life [SSQOL]). The predictors were age, sex, education level, length of hospital stay, current living arrangement, stroke severity, functional independence, and motor impairment.

RESULTS

122 (59.9±14 years) and 103 (59.8±14.71 years) individuals were evaluated six and 12 months after stroke, respectively. Functional independence and sex were significant acute predictors of both generic and specific HRQoL. Functional independence was the strongest predictor (0.149≤R2≤0.262; 20.01≤F≤43.96, p<0.001), except for generic HRQoL at 12 months, where sex was the strongest predictor (R2=0.14; F=17.97, p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Generic and specific HRQoL in chronic individuals six and 12 months after stroke, from a middle-income country, can be predicted based on functional independence, the strongest predictor, assessed in the acute phase, except for generic HRQoL at 12 months. Functional independence can be modified by rehabilitation strategies and thus should be considered for HRQoL prognoses at chronic phase.

Body structure/function impairments and activity limitations of post-stroke that predict social participation: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Stroke is the leading cause of death and disability in Brazil, and its prognostic indicators of social reintegration are not well established yet.

OBJECTIVE

To identify body structure/function impairments and activity limitations in post-stroke that predict social participation restrictions in the community.

METHODS

cohort studies were selected, involving adult post-stroke participants, which investigated body structure and function impairments or activity limitations of post-stroke individuals as predictors of social participation in the community. Studies that included individuals with subarachnoid hemorrhage, other neurological disorders and participants in long-term care facilities were excluded. The Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale was applied to assess the methodological quality. The results were synthesized according to the found exposures, considering the used statistical models.

RESULTS

Eleven articles were included, with a total of 2,412 individuals, 58.4% men, 83.7% ischemic stroke. Seven exposures were assessed across studies, in which 10 studies assessed body structure and function exposures (stroke severity, cognitive, executive, emotional and motor function), and 8 studies assessed activity exposures (daily living activity and walking ability).

CONCLUSION

There is some evidence that stroke severity, mental and motor deficits, limitations in activities of daily living and the ability to walk after a stroke can predict social participation in the community. PROSPERO registration CRD42020177591.

Social capital and acculturation strategies as factors of socio-cultural adaptation of migrants from Central and Central Asia in the Moscow region

The article presents the study of the relationship of social capital of migrants from the Asian former USSR republics with their acculturation strategies and their socio-cultural adaptation. Based on the wide literature review, we suggested that two types of individual social capital of migrants (“bridging” and “bonding”), depending on the combination of their levels (high-low), may lead to the preference of one of the four acculturation strategies (integration, assimilation, separation, marginalization) and further contribute to or hinder socio-cultural adaptation. This study demonstrated that these two types of individual social capital (“bridging” and “bonding”) associated with three of the four acculturation strategies. In addition, the “bridging” social capital has an indirect positive effect on socio-cultural adaptation in which the mediator is the integration strategy. The “bonding” social capital has not demonstrated a statistically significant indirect effect on socio-cultural adaptation of migrants from the Asian former USSR republics.

Consistent determinants of post-stroke health-related quality of life across diverse cultures: Berlin-Ibadan study

OBJECTIVE

Discovery of consistent determinants of post-stroke health-related quality of life (HRQOL) across different cultures is essential for the development of widely applicable therapeutic models for maximizing HRQOL in stroke patients. The objective of this study was to identify variables with consistent effect on post-stroke HRQOL across disparate cultures.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Detailed socio-demographic and clinical data were obtained from successive stroke patients (≥1 month post-stroke) from Ibadan, Nigeria (n = 100) and Berlin, Germany (n = 103). Stroke severity was assessed using the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale and stroke levity score, while disability was graded with modified Rankin Scale. HRQOL was measured with the psychometrically robust holistic HRQOL in stroke patients (HRQOLISP) instrument. Variables with significant univariate or bivariate relationships to HRQOL were included in the multiple forward stepwise regression analysis at P = 0.05.

RESULTS

In disparate cultures, marital status (0.091 < P < 0.902) and stroke type (0.357 < P < 0.975) had no significant relationship to HRQOL. In regression models explaining up to 86% of the HRQOL variance in Ibadan and 70% of the HRQOL variance in Berlin; stroke severity, disability, emotional disorder, and sense of purpose in life were the key predictors of HRQOL after stroke (P < 0.0001 to P < 0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

Based on these consistent determinants, the stroke recovery cycle, a novel therapeutic model aimed at improving sense of purpose and meaning in life after stroke while promoting emotional and physical well-being, is proposed for further exploration.

Qualidade de vida de pacientes com acidente vascular cerebral em reabilitação

OBJETIVOS: Avaliar e correlacionar a qualidade de vida e depressão de pacientes após acidente vascular cerebral em reabilitação. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal realizado em dois serviços de reabilitação, com pacientes de acidente vascular cerebral. As informações coletadas foram sociodemográficas, o Medical Outcome Study 36 - item short-form health survey, o Stroke Specific Quality of Life Scale, o Índice de Barthel e o Inventário de Depressão de Beck. RESULTADOS: A amostra foi constituída de 139 pacientes, idade média 59,4 anos e 59% eram homens. Houve comprometimento dos escores da qualidade de vida geral e específica. Segundo o Índice de Barthel 49,6% dos pacientes apresentavam dependência moderada a severa e 49,7% tinham sintomas depressivos, conforme Inventário de Depressão de Beck, não havendo correlação positiva entre estes dados e qualidade de vida geral e específica. CONCLUSÃO: A qualidade de vida geral e específica dos pacientes com acidente vascular cerebral, em reabilitação, apresentou domínios comprometidos.

Frequency of anxiety after stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Negative psychological outcomes occur frequently after stroke; however, there is uncertainty regarding the occurrence of anxiety disorders and anxiety symptoms after stroke. A systematic review of observational studies was conducted that assessed the frequency of anxiety in stroke patients using a diagnostic or screening tool.

SUMMARY OF REVIEW

Databases were searched up to March 2011. A random effects model was used to summarize the pooled estimate. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed using the I(2) statistic. Forty-four published studies comprising 5760 stroke patients were included. The overall pooled estimate of anxiety disorders assessed by clinical interview was 18% (95%confidence interval 8-29%, I(2)  = 97%) and was 25% (95% confidence interval 21-28%, I(2)  = 90%) for anxiety assessed by rating scale. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety subscale 'probable' and 'possible' cutoff scores were the most widely used assessment criteria. The combined rate of anxiety by time after stroke was: 20% (95% confidence interval 13-27%, I(2)  = 96%) within one-month of stroke; 23% (95% confidence interval 19-27%, I(2)  = 84%) one to five-months after stroke; and 24% (95% confidence interval 19-29%, I(2)  = 89%) six-months or more after stroke.

CONCLUSION

Anxiety after stroke occurs frequently although methodological limitations in the primary studies may limit generalizability. Given the association between prevalence rates and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety cutoff used in studies, reported rates could in fact underrepresent the extent of the problem. Additionally, risk factors for anxiety, its impact on patient outcomes, and effects in tangent with depression remain unclear.