A qualitative study of the experience of psychological distress post-stroke

There is little qualitative data on the emotional effect of stroke upon which to base hypotheses for psychological interventions. We used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of semi-structured interviews with 10 individuals in the clinical range for psychological distress on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale to explore their experiences of psychological distress. Three super-ordinate themes (the fear of stroke, loss of self and sense of isolation and aloneness) emerged. Processes involving a lack of acceptance and self-compassion underlined these themes. Internal isolation was found as a great problem. These themes may indicate targets for directed psychological interventions in people following stroke.

Source: Journal of Health Psychology - October 24, 2016 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Crowe, C., Coen, R. F., Kidd, N., Hevey, D., Cooney, J., Harbison, J. Tags: Articles Source Type: research