Family functioning, psychological well-being and distress in stroke patients: a pilot investigation

INTRODUCTION: Psychosocial factors play a significant role in the recovery and quality of life of stroke survivors. This pilot study evaluated family functioning, psychological well-being and distress in hospitalized stroke patients. METHODS: 11 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of stroke (63,6% male; age M±SD= 72,36±10,11; 72,7% ischemic, 27,3% hemorrhagic; 54,5% right-sided, 45,5% left-sided; time since onset M±SD=18,55±4,05 days) were compared to 11 controls matched for socio-demographic variables. Participants were administered the following self-report questionnaires: the Symptom Questionnaire (SQ), the Psychosocial Index (PSI), the Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWB) and the Family Assessment Device (FAD). Non-parametric tests were applied to compare groups and to evaluate correlations among the variables considered. RESULTS. Ischemic stroke patients showed significantly higher levels of psychosocial stress (PSI) compared to hemorrhagic stroke patients (p=0,031). Compared to controls, stroke patients showed significantly higher scores in SQ-Somatic Symptoms total scale (p=0,038), PSI-Psychological Distress scale (p=0,048) and in FAD-Roles scale (p=0,032), indicating greater familial dysfunction. Within the patients group, significant correlations were found between PSI-Psychological distress scale and most of the FAD and SQ scales (p˂0.05). In contrast, within the control group significant correlations between FAD and PWB scales were uncovered (p˂0.05) but few significant correlations between FAD, SQ and PSI scales were found (p˂0.05). CONCLUSIONS. Stroke patients present higher levels of psychological distress and family dysfunction compared to controls. Family dysfunction seems to be related to greater individual psychological distress in patients and to a lower psychological well-being in controls. Further controlled studies with larger samples are needed.