title: Anxiety and depression 3 years following stroke: demographic, clinical, and psychological predictors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our earlier work had established that moderate depression significantly decreased over the first 6 months after stroke, whereas anxiety levels remained moderate but stable. This study examines the factors predictive of anxiety and depression to 3 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were assessed on six occasions: on hospital admission, 10-20 days following admission, 1 and 6 months following discharge, and 1 and 3 years poststroke, with 38 of the original sample of 101 taking part at Year 3. Demographic and clinical variables, disability, handicap, and psychological measures were used to predict 3-year anxiety and depression, controlling for earlier levels of anxiety or depression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Multiple regression analyses of anxiety at 3 years, controlling for gender and previous anxiety, demonstrated that neither of the significant partial correlates of 6-month depression or satisfaction with treatment persisted. Gender effects persisted when controlling for previous anxiety. Multiple regression analyses of depression at 3 years, controlling for early depression, found that exercise, treatment satisfaction, anxiety, and handicap added significantly to the prediction of lower depression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anxiety remains stable over 3 years poststroke and is best explained by prior, early, anxiety, and female gender. Depression reduces over time and was explained by modifiable cognitions and behaviours, which replicates previous findings.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Wales, Bangor, UK. v.morrison@bangor.ac.uk
authors.forename: Val
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pollard
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: MacWalter
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003710:Demography; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D020521:Stroke / Q000523:psychology*