title: Somatic awareness and symptom attribution in ischemic stroke patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patient delay in seeking treatment for stroke symptoms is a major factor in morbidity and mortality due to stroke. Every 4 minutes, someone dies of a stroke, and 54% of those deaths occur before the patient reaches the hospital.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to determine the relationship of somatic awareness and symptom attribution to treatment-seeking behaviors in ischemic stroke patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a descriptive, correlational pilot study.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was carried out in three tertiary-care hospitals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Binghamton, New York.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty patients diagnosed with ischemic stroke were included.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Modified Somatic Perception Questionnaire measured somatic awareness, and the Symptom Interpretation Questionnaire measured symptom attribution.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no relationship identified between somatic awareness or symptom attribution and treatment-seeking behaviors. Significance was identified, using t-test comparisons, between physical attribution scores and insurance status (p = .038) and family history of stroke (p = .026). Significant correlations, r = .386 and r = .433, respectively, were identified between somatic awareness and symptom attribution and education.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Somatic awareness and symptom attribution were not found to be significantly correlated to time to care. These results must be tempered with the knowledgethat the data were derived from a small sample and that some data were missing due to a lack of recall. Significance was identified, in a comparison of the group means, involving insurance status and family history of stroke, to somatic awareness and symptom attribution. Significant correlation was identified between education and these factors. Future research involving these factors, using a revised methodology, should be considered.
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ward
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001364:Awareness; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology*; D057210:Delayed Diagnosis; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009733:Nursing Diagnosis; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D012803:Sick Role; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires