Life Space Assessment in Stroke Patients.

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Gerontology
• Psychology

Background:

• Stroke significantly impacts patients' mobility and daily life.
• Assessing the practical life space is crucial for understanding post-stroke recovery.
• The Life-Space Assessment (LSA) is a validated tool, but its Korean version needed evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the Korean version of the Life-Space Assessment (K-LSA) in post-stroke patients.
• To examine the reliability of the K-LSA.
• To explore the relationship between K-LSA scores and physical function, daily activity, quality of life, and depression.

Main Methods:

• The LSA questionnaire was translated into Korean and authorized.
• A cross-sectional study involved 34 stroke patients undergoing rehabilitation.
• Test-retest reliability was assessed over a 2-week interval. Patients completed K-LSA, Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), Functional Independence Measure (FIM), EuroQol 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D), and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS).

Main Results:

• The K-LSA demonstrated excellent test-retest reliability (r=0.993, p<0.01).
• Significant correlations were found between K-LSA and FAC (r=0.848), FIM (r=0.765), FIM mobility (r=0.764), GDS (r=-0.657), and EQ-5D (r=0.506), all with p<0.01.
• These findings indicate strong associations between life space and various functional and psychological outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The K-LSA is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing the life space of post-stroke patients in Korea.
• The K-LSA effectively captures the impact of stroke on patients' functional mobility and daily activities.
• The study highlights the interconnectedness of life space, functional status, quality of life, and mental health in stroke survivors.