title: A thematic framework of illness narratives produced by stroke patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study aims at elucidating the impact of stroke on psychosocial functioning of stroke survivors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were investigated using interpretative thematic analysis of illness stories produced by 29 patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eight themes emerged from the data: Medical Information; Interpersonal Changes; Cognitive, Physical and Emotional Functioning; Strategies of Coping; Social Support; and Information Irrelevant to the Question. The most frequent organization of the themes followed the course of medical intervention and rehabilitation. Narrations of individual patients varied in terms of the presence of particular themes, the amount of information on each topic and organization.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that the analysis of non-guided illness narratives can be effectively used to identify the thematic areas important to individual stroke patients. The thematic content analysis of stroke stories can allow health professionals to better understand the patient's state of knowledge related to illness as well as his or her socio-psychological functioning which may be useful in the course of planning further assessment and rehabilitation of patients with stroke. Implications for Rehabilitation Experience of illness and life changes following stroke should be recognized as central to the provision of targeted rehabilitation. To understand the subjective perspective a content analysis of the content narrative is recommended. Our study highlights seven general thematic categories that may be regarded as key. The categories may be useful for clinicians to help individuals to clarify their main concerns following a stroke.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing , Warsaw , Poland .
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pluta
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ulatowska
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gawron
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sobanska
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lojek
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D033262:Narration; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012944:Social Support; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Illness stories; psychosocial functioning; stroke; thematic framework