Evaluation of the Relationship between Functional Independence and Quality of Life in Patients with Chronic Stroke

Stroke is a primary cause of long-term disabilities. Impact of stroke on individuals can be devastating which include an increased dependency on others for activities of daily living, change in mood and cognition, and disruption of social interactions. Such changes have negative influences on the quality of life (QoL); however, it is commonly neglected. This study aimed to determine the functional independence and QoL in chronic stroke patients and the relationship between these factors.

In this cross-sectional study, QoL and functional independence of chronic stroke patients (n=63, aged 24-65 years) were assessed by World Health Organization Quality Of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-Bref) and Barthel index. These participants had experienced only one stroke and had no other orthopedic, neurologic or psychological disorders.

The mean age of participants was 46.11±11.93. The mean score of total QoL was relatively low (58.91±12.21) and mean score of Barthel Index was 87.46±13.04. Psychological and environmental domains had lowest and highest scores respectively, and males had a higher QoL in comparison to females in all domains. There was a correlation between functional independence and overall QoL (r=0.001), functional independence was highly correlated with physical (r=0.000) and environmental (r=0.016) domains (P<0.001).

The results demonstrated that in the majority of participants the QoL was not favorable and is correlated with functional independence level, although further studies are necessary to confirm these findings. The results emphasize more attention to psychosocial aspects of stroke survivors.