Depressive Symptoms Are Associated With Reduced Unsupervised Training Engagement in Inpatients With Subacute Stroke:...

Area of Science:

• Neurorehabilitation
• Psychosomatic Medicine
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Subacute stroke patients often face challenges in maintaining engagement with rehabilitation programs.
• Depressive symptoms are common post-stroke and may impact patient motivation and participation.
• Unsupervised training is a critical component of recovery, allowing patients to practice skills independently.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if depressive symptoms correlate with decreased participation in unsupervised training among subacute stroke inpatients.
• To explore the relationship between psychological well-being and rehabilitation engagement in stroke survivors.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of data from 34 subacute stroke inpatients (median age 65 years).
• Assessed unsupervised training time (leg cycle sessions) and depressive symptoms using the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form (score ≥7).
• Compared training engagement between patients with and without depressive symptoms.

Main Results:

• 35.3% of patients exhibited depressive symptoms.
• Patients with depressive symptoms spent significantly less time in unsupervised training (367s vs. 888s).
• A medium effect size (r=.46) was observed, indicating a meaningful association.

Conclusions:

• Depressive symptoms are linked to reduced engagement in unsupervised rehabilitation training for stroke inpatients.
• Psychological factors, such as depression, should be considered when developing early-stage self-rehabilitation strategies.
• Interventions targeting depression may improve rehabilitation adherence and outcomes in stroke recovery.