Influence of psychologic features on rehabilitation outcomes in patients with subacute stroke trained with robotic-aided walking therapy.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate whether the rehabilitation outcomes with robotic-aided gait therapy may be affected by patients' and caregivers' psychologic features after subacute stroke.


METHODS
This is a controlled, longitudinal, observational pilot study conducted on 42 patients divided in robotic-assisted gait training plus conventional physical therapy group, robotic-assisted gait training dropout group, and conventional physical therapy group. The outcome measures were walking ability (Functional Ambulation Category) and independency in activities of daily living (Barthel Index) measured before and after intervention. Psychologic features were measured before intervention using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and recovery locus of control in the patients and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory in the caregivers.


RESULTS
Patient anxiety was significantly higher in those who refused/abandoned robotic therapy (P = 0.002). In the subjects allocated to the robotic group, the recovery of walking ability was significantly affected by the perceived recovery locus of control (P = 0.039, odds ratio = 14); and the recovery of independency in activities of daily living, by anxiety (P = 0.018, odds ratio = 0.042). Conversely, psychologic factors did not significantly affect the outcomes of conventional rehabilitation.


CONCLUSIONS
Psychologic features, particularly recovery locus of control and anxiety, affected the rehabilitative outcomes of the patients involved in robotic treatment more than those in conventional rehabilitation.
From the Fondazione Santa Lucia, IRCCS, Rome, Italy (M. Bragoni, M. Broccoli, DDA, VV, PC, LP, G. Mezzetti, SP); and Clinical Laboratory of Experimental Neurorehabilitation, Fondazione Santa Lucia, IRCCS, Rome, Italy (MI, G. Morone, AF).
Maura
M
Bragoni
Marco
M
Broccoli
Marco
M
Iosa
Giovanni
G
Morone
Domenico
D
De Angelis
Vincenzo
V
Venturiero
Paola
P
Coiro
Luca
L
Pratesi
Giulia
G
Mezzetti
Augusto
A
Fusco
Stefano
S
Paolucci
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D020233:Gait Disorders, Neurologic / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000295:instrumentation; D012371:Robotics; D020521:Stroke / Q000523:psychology*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult