Exploring resilience and related factors among patients with stroke in the recovery stage

Background: Resilience is known to affect the degree to which individuals adapt to the impact of stroke and its sequelae. However, few studies have examined resilience and related factors among stroke patients in Taiwan. Purpose: To explore resilience and related factors among stroke patients in the recovery stage. Methods: A cross-sectional and correlational study design was adopted. Convenience sampling was employed to recruit participants from the rehabilitation inpatient wards of a regional teaching hospital in northern Taiwan. A structured questionnaire, including the social support scale and the Chinese version of the resilience scale, was used for data collection. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and stepwise regression analysis. Results: A total of 128 stroke recovery in-patients who averaged 57.2 ± 11.6 years of age and were predominantly male were recruited. The results of this study showed that the global resilience of participants was moderate and that a significantly positive correlation existed between global social support and resilience. Age, marital status, and global tangible social support accounted for 25.0% of the total variation in resilience. Conclusions/Implications for Practical: Age, marital status and global tangible social support were identified as the crucial predictive factors of resilience in stroke patients. The results support the recommendation that healthcare providers should acquire advanced knowledge and skills through in-service education, proactive caring, and encouraging patients to learn self-care in order to enhance rehabilitation motivation and confidence levels and subsequently promote disease recovery and the ability to adapt to life through cross-disciplinary medical team cooperation and supportive relationships.