Re-Engagement in Pre-Stroke Personal Projects Six Months Post-Stroke

Abstract

Little is known about the relationship between the characteristics of pre-stroke occupations and the continuation of these occupations post-stroke. Therefore the purpose of this study was to estimate the proportion of pre-stroke personal projects that are continued at 6 months post-stroke and to explore characteristics of projects that may be related to their continuation. Using a cross-sectional study design at 6 months post-stroke, 67 community-dwelling stroke survivors identified six important personal projects they were carrying out just before their stroke and rated these in terms of importance, control, pleasure, self-identification, challenge, stress and support of others. They then reported which of these projects they had completed or were continuing to carry out. Generalized estimating equations were used to determine the relationship between these factors and project continuation, controlling for age, gender, functional status, mood and neighbourhood income. Seventy-five percent of pre-stroke projects were continued or completed at 6-months. Project pleasure was inversely related to post-stroke continuation (B = −.269, χ² = 3.872, df = 1, p < .05). Findings indicate that ratings of pre-stroke occupation-related characteristics cannot be used to predict post-stroke project continuation.

Keywords:

• Personal projects analysis
• Occupation
• Stroke
• Participation

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the Ottawa Neighbourhood Study – ONS (www.neighbourhoodstudy.ca) and the work of Dr. Elizabeth Kristjansson and Dr. M. Sawada for conceiving of and extracting neighborhood income data at neighbourhood levels. Their work, in that regard, was overseen by the ONS steering committee and funded by contributions from CIHR, the United Way, IBM International, The Coalition of Community and Resource Health Centers of Ottawa, the City of Ottawa, Ottawa Public Health, and Champlain Local Health Integration Network. This project was funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario (NA 6743) and the Ontario Stroke System (F08-765).