Psychological Stress Management and Stress Reduction Strategies for Stroke Survivors: A Scoping Review

Stroke can be a life-changing event, with survivors frequently experiencing some level of disability, reduced independence, and an abrupt lifestyle change. Not surprisingly, many stroke survivors report elevated levels of stress during the recovery process, which has been associated with worse outcomes.

Given the multiple roles of stress in the etiology of stroke recovery outcomes, we aimed to scope the existing literature on stress management interventions that have been trialed in stroke survivors.

We performed a database search for intervention studies conducted in stroke survivors which reported the effects on stress, resilience, or coping outcome. Medline (OVID), Embase (OVID), CINAHL (EBSCO), Cochrane Library, and PsycInfo (OVID) were searched from database inception until March 11, 2019, and updated on September 1, 2020.

Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. There was significant variation in the range of trialed interventions, as well as the outcome measures used to assess stress. Overall, just over half (13/24) of the included studies reported a benefit in terms of stress reduction. Acceptability and feasibility were considered in 71% (17/24) and costs were considered in 17% (4/24) of studies. The management of stress was rarely linked to the prevention of symptoms of stress-related disorders. The overall evidence base of included studies is weak. However, an increase in the number of studies over time suggests a growing interest in this subject.

Further research is required to identify optimum stress management interventions in stroke survivors, including whether the management of stress can ameliorate the negative impacts of stress on health.