Illness beliefs and emotional responses in mildly disabled stroke survivors: A qualitative study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

As acute stroke services improve, more persons experience mild stroke and need to cope daily with hidden disabilities, which may be influenced by how they perceive stroke, cognitively and emotionally.

Objective

To investigate cognitive illness beliefs and emotional responses in persons with mild stroke and their possible influences on daily coping.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 persons with mild stroke, on average 7.5 months (±0.89) after stroke occurrence. A thematic analysis on verbatim transcripts was guided by the Common-Sense Model of Self-Regulation.

Results

All participants experienced difficulties constructing an illness identity at both acute and chronic phase. Behavioral risk factors were less accepted as causes

SUBMITTER: Della Vecchia C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6808550 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature