Activity Participation Differences Between Younger and Older Individuals with Stroke

Unique Needs and Challenges Experienced by Young People With Stroke: An International Qualitative Analysis

Background and Objectives

Stroke in young adults has a lifelong impact on activities of daily life, including driving, leisure, and community-based activities; social participation; and reduced productivity. The needs of young people with stroke (YPwS) are likely to vary across different countries, and the development of age-adapted information and interventions is therefore critical in addressing those needs. This study aims to (1) identify the unmet needs of people with stroke aged 18 to 55 years across countries with varied income levels and cultural backgrounds and (2) determine their preferred means to access knowledge and information about stroke in the young.

Methods

This international needs analysis used a phenomenologic qualitative design to gain in-depth perspectives about the experiences of YPwS. Participants were recruited from 9 countries of varied socioeconomic status. We interviewed 44 participants with stroke (men: 22; women: 21; transman: 1; mean age: 44.2 ± 8.5 years) living in the community (range of time since stroke: 0.5-10 years). The semistructured interview focused on lived stroke experience, unmet needs, helpful strategies to meet individual needs, hopes, and dreams. The interview was recorded, conducted in the participants' native language, and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.

Results

Four main themes emerged from the interviews: (1) heterogeneity of unmet needs specific to YPwS, (2) invisible disability, (3) lack of age-specific stroke information, and (4) call for accessible information resources available in different formats. The results highlighted the need to provide long-term and contextually tailored support to YPwS, aligned with their recovery goals and age-specific needs. Initiatives such as peer-support groups, self-management or peer-mentoring programs, information resources in various formats, and participation in research projects could help address the unique needs of this population.

Discussion

Our results emphasize the importance of raising awareness of stroke in the young and the unique challenges of this population. Future research could focus on the development of stroke care pathways specific to YPwS.

Stroke rehabilitation adaptive approaches: A theory-focused scoping review

BACKGROUND

Stroke rehabilitation consists of restorative and adaptive approaches. Multiple adaptive approaches exist.

AIMS/OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to develop a framework for categorising adaptive stroke rehabilitation interventions, based on underlying theory.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We searched multiple databases to April 2020 to identify studies of interventions designed to improve participation in valued activities. We extracted the name of the intervention, underlying explicit or implicit theory, intervention elements, and anticipated outcomes. Using this information, we proposed distinct groups of interventions based on theoretical drivers.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine adaptive interventions were examined in at least one of 77 studies. Underlying theories included Cognitive Learning Theory, Self-determination Theory, Social Cognitive Theory, adult learning theories, and Psychological Stress and Coping Theory. Three overarching theoretical drivers were identified: learning, motivation, and coping.

CONCLUSIONS

At least 29 adaptive approaches exist, but each appear to be based on one of three underlying theoretical drivers. Consideration of effectiveness of these approaches by theoretical driver could help indicate underlying mechanisms and essential elements of effective adaptive approaches.

SIGNIFICANCE

Our framework is an important advance in understanding and evaluating adaptive approaches to stroke rehabilitation.

Exploring the Unmet Needs of Young Adults with Stroke in Australia: Can Technology Help Meet Their Needs? A Qualitative Study

The post-stroke needs of young adults with stroke are not being met, as most resources are tailored to older people with stroke. This includes technology-based applications, which are being used more frequently in stroke rehabilitation. There is limited data on technology usage to support the unique needs of young adults with stroke in Australia. This study aimed to explore the unmet needs of young adults aged 18-30 years with stroke and ascertain how technology can help meet those needs to improve quality of life and participation. Sixteen in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with young adults with stroke (n = 10), healthcare professionals (n = 3) and caregivers of young adults with stroke (n = 3). The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed inductively. Five themes were generated: 'Support for recovery', 'Availability of specific resources', 'Continuity of care', 'Adjustment' and 'Knowledge'. This study revealed the unique needs of young adults under 30 years with stroke who requested more targeted post-stroke support, age-specific resources and improved awareness on young stroke, with technology playing a pivotal role in all these interventions. We suggest co-designing technology-based solutions with young people after stroke to maximize their effectiveness in improving quality of life and participation in this unique cohort.

Adaptação transcultural do Subjective Index of Physical and Social Outcome (SIPSO) para aplicação no Brasil

Objetivo: A restrição na participação é uma consequência significativa para indivíduos pós-Acidente Vascular Cerebral (AVC). No Brasil, não há instrumentos disponíveis que contemplem de forma abrangente a participação nesta população. Portanto, o objetivo deste estudo foi adaptar transculturalmente o Subjective Index of Physical and Social Outcome(SIPSO) para uso no Brasil. O SIPSO é um questionário com 10 itens, abrangendo questões de participação consideradas significativas para indivíduos pós-AVC. Métodos: O processo de adaptação transcultural envolveu as seguintes etapas: tradução, retrotradução, síntese das traduções, análise por um comitê de especialistas e teste da versão pré-final. Resultados: Observou-se equivalência semântica adequada entre as versões original e retrotraduzida. Durante a reunião de especialistas, foi realizada adequação dos itens às regras gramaticais da língua portuguesa. No teste da versão pré-final, em um item do instrumento foi reportada dificuldade de compreensão, sendo acrescentado um exemplo para ampliar a possibilidade de compreensão do item. Conclusão: O SIPSO-Brasil apresentou satisfatório grau de equivalência semântica, idiomática, cultural, conceitual e operacional. Contudo, estudos posteriores devem ser realizados para a continuidade da investigação da validade da versão adaptada do instrumento.

Young Stroke Survivors' Preferred Methods of Meeting Their Unique Needs: Shaping Better Care

OBJECTIVE

To determine how young stroke survivors want their unmet needs to be addressed, we undertook an international online survey of people living with stroke.

METHODS

Participants self-selected to complete an online survey that included a questionnaire on demographics and stroke-related characteristics, the Young Stroke Needs Screening Tool, and a questionnaire on how they wanted their needs to be met.

RESULTS

One hundred seventy-one responses were received (68% female respondents, mean age 45 years, interquartile range 36-51 years). Preferences for methods of meeting needs varied depending on the domain of need and participants' demographic and stroke-related characteristics. Face-to-face contact with a health care professional was a popular means of meeting needs, but methods outside of a traditional health care setting such as a succinct list of tips or peer support were widely acceptable and sometimes preferred.

CONCLUSION

This work provides the impetus for developing alternative methods of meeting young stroke survivors' needs, many of which are not resource intensive or do not require an appointment with a health care professional.

Propriedades de medida do Activity Card Sort – Brasil: a avaliação da participação de idosos em atividades

Resumo Introdução O Activity Card Sort é um instrumento padronizado de avaliação, adaptado para a cultura brasileira, que busca mensurar o engajamento e a participação de pessoas idosas em atividades instrumentais, sociais e de lazer. Objetivo Avaliar as propriedades de medida do Activity Card Sort-Brasil (ACS-Brasil), versão aplicada aos que vivem na comunidade (forma C). Método Foram avaliadas a consistência interna, a validade concorrente, a convergente e a discriminativa. Para determinar a consistência interna, foi utilizado o coeficiente Alpha de Cronbach. Por sua vez, a validade concorrente foi determinada pela comparação dos escores do ACS-Brasil com o instrumento LIFE-H 3.1 e a validade convergente foi comparada com os instrumentos de avaliação SF-36 e MMSE-2, por meio da Correlação de Spearman. Já a validade discriminativa do ACS-Brasil foi avaliada pelo teste U de Mann-Whitney, comparando diferentes grupos etários e anos de estudo. Resultados As avaliações para análise das propriedades de medida foram aplicadas em 65 pessoas idosas, residentes na comunidade. A medida apresentou excelente consistência interna (α=0,91); correlação forte e positiva entre os escores totais do ACS-Brasil e do LIFE-H 3.1 (r= 0,442, p <0,01), e moderada a forte do ACS-Brasil com o SF-36, no domínio dos aspectos físicos (r = 0,509, p<0,01) e vitalidade (r= 0,518, p<0,01) e dor (r=0,409, p=0,01), exceto para estado geral de saúde e aspectos emocionais. Os resultados ainda apontam que o ACS-Brasil é válido para discriminar entre grupos etários e escolaridade. Conclusão O ACS-Brasil, versão vivendo na comunidade (forma C), apresentou propriedades psicométricas satisfatórias, com valores consistentes à versão original e de outros países. Isso indica sua utilidade clínica na aplicação em pessoas idosas para mensurar a participação e engajamento em atividades do cotidiano.

Activity card sort e o repertório ocupacional de idosos: uma revisão integrativa da literatura

Resumo Introdução O Activity Card Sort (ACS) é uma ferramenta desenvolvida para avaliar a participação de idosos em atividades instrumentais de vida diária, sociais e de lazer de baixa e alta demanda. É considerado um instrumento de avaliação útil para o processo terapêutico ocupacional utilizando uma abordagem baseada nas ocupações e centrada no cliente. Objetivo Analisar as principais características da produção científica sobre a utilização do ACS na população de idosos. Método Foi realizada uma revisão integrativa da literatura. Para a seleção dos registros bibliográficos, foram selecionadas seis fontes de informação, sem recorte temporal. Na organização e análise dos dados, foi criada uma coleção dos registros bibliográficos para realizar a análise descritiva e, na construção e visualização de redes bibliométricas, foi aplicado o VOSviewer. Resultados A amostra foi composta por 67 artigos. Os objetivos das pesquisas eram direcionados a examinar as propriedades psicométricas do instrumento, utilizar o ACS para comprovar o impacto das deficiências na participação e engajamento em atividades ou usar o ACS como medida de desfecho em diferentes intervenções. Conclusão O instrumento se apresentou como uma opção que enriquece o processo avaliativo na terapia ocupacional, uma vez que apresentou boas propriedades psicométricas, foi capaz de capturar o nível de participação em diferentes populações, assim como pôde ser usado como medida de desfecho para intervenções que se preocupam com o engajamento em ocupações.

Self-Perception of Physical Function Contributes to Participation in Cognitively- and Physically-Demanding Activities After Stroke

Background: Persons with and without aphasia experience decreased participation in meaningful activities post-stroke that result in reduced autonomy and poorer quality of life. Physical, cognitive, and/or communication deficits are prevalent post-stroke and many activities given up are purported to require high levels of communicative, cognitive, or physical skill. However, the relationship between deficits after stroke and participation in life activities that appear to require high skill levels in these three areas has not been investigated fully.

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to: (1) determine differences in reported participation in communicatively-, cognitively-, or physically-demanding activities in persons after stroke with and without aphasia living in the community, and to (2) investigate whether performance on commonly used self-perception assessments of these three areas predicts reported participation in activities requiring higher levels of skill in these domains.

Methods: In a cross-sectional design, 82 individuals at least 6 months post-stroke with (N = 34) and without aphasia (N = 48) were administered a battery of neuropsychological and participation-based assessments. Supported communication techniques maximized inclusion of individuals with aphasia. A series of regression analyses investigated the relationship between self-perceived communicative, cognitive, and physical functioning and reported participation in activities post-stroke that required high amounts of skilled function in these areas.

Results: People with and without aphasia did not differ in terms of the percentage retained in communicatively-, cognitively-, or physically-demanding activities. All individuals retained higher levels of participation in communicatively- and cognitively-demanding activities (at least 60% retained), compared to participation inphysically-demanding activities (about 50% retained). The strongest predictor for retaining participation in two of the three domains of activities was self-perception of physical function, though much of the variance remained unexplained. Self-perception of communication was not related to participation retention in any of the three domains.

Significance of Impact: Rehabilitation professionals should be aware of the impact that a variety of communicative, cognitive, and physical factors may have on participation post-stroke. Self-perceptions of impairments in communication and cognition may not directly predict participation in activities requiring high levels of communicative and/or cognitive skill, at least for those with mild impairment, even though activities requiring those skills are given up or done less after stroke.

Differences in Rehabilitation Needs after Stroke: A Similarity Analysis on the ICF Core Set for Stroke

Background: Successful rehabilitation is associated with physical, psychological, environmental, social, and personal factors based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework. The influence of age has been suggested as crucial personal factors that may affect rehabilitation needs in post-stroke survivors. The aim of this study was to investigate the qualifiers of the ICF core set for stroke to detect differences in rehabilitation needs and goals between older (O, >65 years old) and younger (Y, ≤65 years old,) post-stroke individuals. Materials and methods: In this observational study, the comprehensive core set for stroke was filled during the rehabilitation period. Patient information was obtained using disability scales was translated into certain ICF categories using linking rules. Frequency, similarity, and linear regression analyses were performed for ICF qualifier profiles among Y and O patients. Results: Forty-eight ICF variables were significantly different between Y (n = 35, 46.17 ± 11.27 years old) and O (n = 35, 76.43 ± 6.77 years old) patients. Frequency analysis showed that activity of daily living and basic needs were more prevalent in O patients, whereas regaining of social role and social life were more prevalent in Y patients. The average Jaccard Index result (similarity analysis) was more homogeneous in O than in Y patients. Conclusions: ICF qualifiers are useful to design patient-centered care. Y patients have more heterogeneous needs and require more personalized program than O patients.

The relationship between social cognition and participation in the long term after stroke

Social cognitive impairments may play a role in participation restrictions after stroke. Understanding their relationship could inform treatment approaches to improve participation. We investigated the relationship between social cognition and participation in the long term after stroke. Of 395 patients participating in a large prospective cohort study, cross-sectional data were available at 3-4 years post-stroke of 118 patients on tests for emotion recognition, theory of mind, empathy, and behaviour regulation. Participation was assessed with the Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of Rehabilitation - Participation (USER-P). Bivariate and multivariate regression analysis were used to examine the relationship between social cognitive domains and participation. The majority suffered from minor stroke (83.1% scored NIHSS 0-4). Only behaviour regulation was related to participation restrictions in bivariate analysis, but social cognitive impairments did not predict participation restrictions in multivariate regression in this group. To conclude, in a sample of minor stroke patients with mild impairments in theory of mind, emotion recognition and behavioural control, there were no associations with restrictions in participation. Research should examine whether a relationship is present in patients with more severe stroke. In addition, measuring social aspects of participation is necessary to further unravel this relationship, to determine treatment targets for improving participation.

Beyond Broken Bodies and Brains: A Mixed Methods Study of Mental Health and Life Transitions After Brain Injury

Purpose: Clients with an acquired brain injury (ABI) are at risk of mental health problems and it has been argued that transitions throughout the rehabilitation process are a challenge for rehabilitation practice; however, the link between transitions and psychosocial outcome has been under-researched. Therefore, this study aims to (1) investigate the status of clients with moderate or severe ABI two-year post-discharge on the following outcomes variables: Physical and cognitive function, depression, quality of life, civil and work status, (2) examine correlations between these outcomes and (3) explore through qualitative interviews the subjective experiences of individuals with ABI in order to increase our understanding of clients’ perspectives on this outcome and its relation to life transitions in a two-year period.

Method: 37 individuals aged 18–66 with moderate or severe ABI were interviewed two years after discharge. At this time, they also completed standard measures of depression (MDI), quality of life (WHOQOL-bref) and functional independence (FIM™). Historical data of their FIM™ status at discharge were obtained for comparison.

Results: We found psychological problems two years post-hospitalization, especially depression (35.1%) and decreased psychological QOL (61%). Analysis of interviews found six main factors perceived as important for psychosocial outcome: family relations, return to work, waiting lists, psychological support, fatigue and personal competences.

Conclusions: Clients’ status two years post-hospitalization is often characterized by psychological problems. Based on clients’ accounts, we found a connection between psychosocial outcome and life transition experiences and developed a model of factors that are perceived as helping and hindering positive outcome.

The construct validity of the Dutch version of the activity card sort

PURPOSE

Establishing construct validity of the ACS-NL in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD).

METHOD

Discriminative validity was established in 191 community-dwelling individuals with PD using an extreme groups design (Hoehn and Yahr stages 1 and 3). Convergent validity was determined by relating the performance scores of the ACS-NL to the scores of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) scores, and relating ACS-NL satisfaction scores to the COPM scores and to the Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of Rehabilitation Participation (USER-P).

RESULTS

The ACS-NL discriminated between individuals with PD with H&Y stages 1 and 3 (U = 524.5, Z = -5.453). ACS-NL performance scores correlated weakly with COPM scores (r = (0).19) and moderately with PDQ-39 scores (r = 0.44-0.55). The ACS-NL satisfaction scores correlated weakly with COPM scores (r = 0.23), and moderately with USER-P scores (r ≥ 0.40).

CONCLUSIONS

This study contributed to the validation of the ACS-NL. The assessment enhances the possibility of monitoring participation in activities in individuals with PD. Implications for Rehabilitation The ACS-NL appears to hold good potential for use in the assessment of participation in activities in individuals with PD. The ACS-NL has added value parallel to administration of other instruments measuring participation (COPM) and quality of life (PDQ-39). This study demonstrates the capacity of the ACS to measure a unique construct of participation and helps to improve the psychometric properties and administration of the ACS-NL in practice.

Perceived participation after stroke: the influence of activity retention, reintegration, and perceived recovery

OBJECTIVE

We sought to determine the extent to which perceptions of participation in everyday occupations were affected in a sample of people with predominantly mild stroke. Demographic variables, stroke severity, community integration, participation in everyday occupations, and perceptions of recovery were examined as potential contributors to their perceptions of participation.

METHOD

We conducted a cross-sectional study with 116 people with mild to moderate first stroke assessed approximately 6 mo after stroke.

RESULTS

Perceptions of participation assessed using the Stroke Impact Scale varied (range = 19-100), with a mean score of 82. Regression analyses revealed three factors that contributed to perceptions of participation: retention of previous activities, reintegration in home and community, and perception of stroke recovery.

CONCLUSION

Although the majority of participants reported a high level of perceived participation, more than a third failed to report successful participation.