Two-thirds of stroke victims are in excellent mental health, despite the trauma of their stroke.
While the majority of stroke studies have focused on depression and suicidal thoughts after stroke, this study gives hope: the majority of people who have had a stroke do not care no mental sequelae. This is a major Canadian study, published in the Journal of Aging and Health and conducted by researchers from the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto, who just revealed it.
The study was based on a nationally representative sample of 11,157 Canadians aged 50 and over, including 300 stroke survivors. People living in long-term care facilities were not included in the survey, so it should be taken into account that the study does not include some stroke survivors with severe impairment.
Well-defined criteria
For the authors of the study, a “complete sanity” requires respondents to be happy and/or satisfied with their lives, almost daily. Of course, they have no suicidal thoughts, are not addicted to any substance, and have not suffered from depression or The study also shed light on new factors associated with complete mental health in stroke survivors: having a confidant and not suffering from chronic pain are important data according to the survey. , a history of childhood abuse, and a lifetime history of mental illness reduce the chances of regaining full mental health after a stroke.
Targeted interventions to be implemented
“One of our most interesting findings is that stroke survivors, with at least one confidant, are four times more likely to be completely mentally healthy than socially isolated people,” said Lisa A. Jenson. , co-author of the study. “This suggests that targeted interventions for isolated patients are particularly useful for optimizing post-stroke well-being,” she concludes.