Correlates of subjective well-being in stroke patients

Data on survival and functioning after stroke needs to be supplemented by measures emphasizing the patients' subjective perception. We studied (1) subjective well-being (SWB) as a latent variable in a common-factor model with four items, (2) the reliability of these four items, and (3) variables related to SWB in stroke patients.

Data on all stroke patients (n=1417) and a random subsample of stroke-free individuals of similar age (n=1439) were collected from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Survey, a cross-sectional study of 74977 persons. Based on a two-sample factor analysis model, scores of SWB were calculated, and variables explaining SWB were studied in a regression model.

Four items were a priori believed to measure SWB as a latent variable ("satisfaction," "strength," "calmness," and "cheerfulness"). This was confirmed by factor analysis. The reliability of these items (the proportion of the variance of the items that can be explained by the common factor) was between .42 and .53. Regression analyses showed a significant effect of having had a stroke, gender (lower SWB in men), age (increasing SWB with increasing age), perceived general health, nervousness, loneliness, sleep problems, social support, and use of analgesics. There was no statistical interaction between these variables and having had a stroke.

Higher SWB after stroke relates to female gender, older age, good general and mental health, and a firm social network.