[Life events, quality of life and social support prior to acute cerebral vascular disease, as predictive factors of the quality of life and functional state following stroke].
BACKGROUND
The repercussion of stroke on quality of life has been evaluated but not the possible relation between the quality of life before and months after an acute stroke.


OBJECTIVE
To study the possible relation between quality of life, social support, stressful life events prior to the stroke and quality of life, social support and functional state months after.


METHODS
A prospective study was made of 34 patients (71.7 +/- 8 years; 19 (56%) men; 15 (44%) women with stroke, by means of two evaluations: personal interview within the first 36 hours (quality of life--Nothingham health profile (NHP)-, perception of social support and stressful life events--Holmes and Rake inventory-) and an interview over the phone 16.5 +/- 5.3 months after the stroke (NHP, perception of social support and functional state--Rankin scale-).


RESULTS
Following the stroke there was deterioration in perception of social support (19.8 +/- 3 vs 12.5 +/- 8; p = 0.000) and in the degree of social isolation of the NHP (9.4 +/- 20 vs 21.1 +/- 30; p = 0.03). The only relation found was between the following variables: pain at the first evaluation and pain (r = 0.45; p = 0.007) at the second evaluation; mobility at the first evaluation and emotional state (r = 0.39; p = 0.029) and social support (r = 0.37; p = 0.027) at the second evaluation; sleepiness at the first evaluation and energy (r = 0.55; p = 0.0006), pain (r = 0.39; p = 0.022), emotional state (r = 0.35; p = 0.038), mobility (r = 0.34, p = 0.048) and sleepiness (r = 0.51; p = 0.001) at the second evaluation.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results indicate that there is little relationship between the previous state and that following stroke, and that the deterioration in perception of support and social isolation is due to the stroke itself.
Martín-González
R
R
Sección de Neurología, Hospital Universitario de San Juan, Alicante, España. um1mmago@umh.infoville.net
Ortiz de Salazar
A
A
Peris-Martí
A
A
Valiente-Ibiza
E
E
Sala-Corbí
A
A
D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology; D000368:Aged; D006970:Disorders of Excessive Somnolence / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology; D012944:Social Support; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*