Exploring the Experience of Loneliness among People Living with Schizophrenia: A Qualitative Study.

Background: People living with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder are at heightened risk for experiencing loneliness, which is associated with negative health, quality of life, and symptom-specific outcomes.

Aims: This study aimed to better understand the experience of loneliness among adults living with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

Methods: Using a semi-structured interview guide, researchers interviewed twelve participants living with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

Functional Cognition: Moving the Field Forward.

The concept of functional cognition has been variously defined, but at its core relates to how cognitive and performance abilities are integrated and used in everyday life. Functional cognition is a fundamental element of occupational performance, and functional cognitive assessment and intervention are central to how occupational therapy can improve client outcomes. Attendees at a conference convened by the American Occupational Therapy Foundation identified areas where the construct of functional cognition required further clarification.

Moderating Role of Self-Regulation Difficulties in the Momentary Associations Between Depressive Symptoms and Participation Poststroke.

Importance: Because depressive symptoms are momentarily associated with lower levels of participation poststroke, it is crucial to investigate what moderates such associations to identify a potential intervention target to reduce the momentary links between depressive symptoms and participation poststroke. Self-regulation seems to be a potential moderator of such associations.

Objective: To investigate the extent to which difficulties in self-regulation moderate the momentary associations between depressive symptoms and participation poststroke.

Social Support Mediates the Association Between Abilities and Participation After Stroke.

Stroke survivors face participation restrictions, yet little is known regarding how social support affects the association between an individual's abilities and participation. Through a Person-Environment-Occupation-Performance (PEOP) model lens, social support was examined as a potential mediator between ability and participation in cognitively and mobility-demanding activities for stroke survivors with aphasia (persons with aphasia [PWA]) and without aphasia (persons without aphasia [PWOA]). A cross-sectional design, including PWA ( = 50) and PWOA ( = 59) examined associations among person factors (physical impairment, cognition), an environmental factor (social support), and occupational participation through cognitively- and mobility-demanding activity subscales of the Activity Card Sort.

"They Just Love Me"-An Examination of Social Support Experiences and Values Among People With TBI.

Objective: Social support is important for health and functional outcomes after traumatic brain injury (TBI), but many adults with TBI report inadequate social support. Little research has examined the social support priorities of adults with TBI or what an optimal social support network should include. The objective of this study was to describe the social support structures and experiences of adults with TBI.

A Longitudinal Investigation of the Association Between Stroke and Loneliness.

Objectives: The present research examined associations between stroke and long-term trajectories of loneliness.

Methods: We conducted secondary analyses in 3 large representative panel studies of adults 50 years and older in the United States, Europe, and Israel: the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA; analytic N = 14,992); the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE; analytic N = 103,782); and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; analytic N = 22,179). Within each sample, we used discontinuous growth curve modeling to estimate loneliness trajectories across adulthood and the impact of stroke on loneliness trajectories.

Mental Health Mediators for Subjective, Not Objective, Cognition, and Community Participation Poststroke.

Previous studies have stated that both objective and subjective cognitive abilities and mental health symptoms are associated with community participation poststroke. However, there is a need to understand the direct and indirect associations among these variables in persons with stroke. The objective of this study was to investigate whether mental health symptoms mediate the associations of subjective and objective cognitive abilities with community participation poststroke.

Experiences With Mobile Health-Enabled Ambulatory Monitoring Among Stroke Survivors: A Qualitative Study.

Inquiring into the experiences of stroke survivors toward ambulatory monitoring is crucial for optimizing user adoption, design, implementation, and sustainability of ambulatory monitoring in the stroke population. This study was aimed to identify facilitators and barriers for ambulatory monitoring among stroke survivors, as well as their suggestions for development and implementation of ambulatory monitoring. We conducted individual semi-structured interviews with 40 stroke survivors who received ambulatory monitoring.

Social participation mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and loneliness among people with stroke during COVID-19: a cross-sectional study.

Background: People post-stroke experience increased loneliness, compared to their healthy peers and loneliness may have increased during COVID due to social distancing. How social distancing affected loneliness among people after stroke is unknown. Bandura's self-efficacy theory suggests that self-efficacy may be a critical component affecting individuals' emotions, behaviors, attitudes, and interpretation of everyday situations.

Associations of Circadian Rest-Activity Rhythms With Affect and Cognition in Community-Dwelling Stroke Survivors: An Ambulatory Assessment Study.

Background: Rest-activity rhythm (RAR) is a modifiable behavioral factor associated with affect and cognition. Identifying RAR characteristics associated with affect and cognition among stroke survivors provides insight into preventing poststroke affective and cognitive impairment.

Objective: To examine the associations of RAR characteristics with affect and cognition among community-dwelling stroke survivors.

Functional Cognition: Distinct From Fluid and Crystallized Cognition?

Importance: Functional cognition is emerging as a professional priority for occupational therapy practice. It is important to understand how it relates to other established cognitive constructs, so that occupational therapists can demonstrate their unique contributions.

Objective: To examine whether functional cognition is a construct that is distinct from crystallized and fluid cognitive abilities.

The mediating effect of anxiety on the association between residual neurological impairment and post-stroke participation among persons with and without post-stroke depression.

Previous research has reported that residual neurological impairment and emotional factors play a role in regaining successful participation post-stroke. The objective of this study was to investigate the mediating impact of anxiety on the association between residual neurological impairment and participation in survivors with and without post-stroke depressive symptoms. Participants (N = 79) were classified into 2 categories, those with post-stroke depressive symptoms (N = 40) and those without post-stroke depressive symptoms (N = 39).

The Moderating Role of Motivation in the Real-Time Associations of Fatigue, Cognitive Complaints, and Pain With Depressed Mood Among Stroke Survivors: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study.

Objective: Stroke symptoms fluctuate during the day as stroke survivors participate in daily activities. Understanding the real-time associations among stroke symptoms and depressed mood, as well as the role of motivation for daily activities, informs, and post-stroke symptom management in the context of everyday living. This study aimed to (1) investigate the real-time associations of fatigue, cognitive complaints, and pain with depressed mood and (2) examine the role of motivation for daily activity participation as a potential moderator of these associations in stroke survivors.

Self-reported emotional health and social support but not executive function are associated with participation after stroke.

Background: Participation restrictions continue to be prevalent for community-dwelling stroke survivors. Research is needed to understand the associated post-stroke factors that limit or facilitate optimal participation and quality of life.

Objectives: To investigate emotional health, executive functioning (EF), and social support as predictors of participation restrictions post-stroke.

Associations Between Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Motivation Underpinning Daily Activity Participation Among Community-Dwelling Survivors of Stroke: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study.

Objective: Grounded in the self-determination theory (SDT), this study aimed to examine the real-time associations between basic psychological need satisfaction and motivation underpinning daily activity participation among survivors of stroke.

Design: Repeated-measures observational study involving 7 days of ambulatory monitoring; participants completed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) surveys via smartphones 8 times daily. Multilevel models were used to analyze EMA data for concurrent (same survey) and lagged (next survey) associations.

Multimodal Ambulatory Monitoring of Daily Activity and Health-Related Symptoms in Community-Dwelling Survivors of Stroke: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Validity.

Objective: To examine the feasibility, acceptability, and validity of multimodal ambulatory monitoring, which combines accelerometry with ecological momentary assessment (EMA), to assess daily activity and health-related symptoms among survivors of stroke.

Design: Prospective cohort study involving 7 days of ambulatory monitoring; participants completed 8 daily EMA surveys about daily activity and symptoms (mood, cognitive complaints, fatigue, pain) while wearing an accelerometer. Participants also completed retrospective assessments and an acceptability questionnaire.

Self-Perceived ADL/IADL Function is Influenced by Residual Neurological Impairment, Aphasia, and Anxiety.

Self-perceptions of performance of activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) are reduced following stroke. Research investigating contributing factors is lacking. We examined the extent to which aphasia status, neurological impairment and poststroke depression, and anxiety contribute to self-perceived ADL/IADL function.

Depressive Symptomatology and Functional Status Among Stroke Survivors: A Network Analysis.

Objective: To (1) characterize poststroke depressive symptom network and identify the symptoms most central to depression and (2) examine the symptoms that bridge depression and functional status.

Design: Secondary data analysis of the Stroke Recovery in Underserved Population database. Networks were estimated using regularized partial correlation models.

Psychometric properties of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale in stroke survivors.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale in adults with stroke.

Methods: A secondary analysis of the Stroke Recovery in Underserved Populations Cohort Study. The CES-D was administrated to 828 stroke patients at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation facilities and at 3- and 12-month follow-ups.

Subjective and objective assessments are associated for physical function but not cognitive function in community-dwelling stroke survivors.

Purpose: To investigate the relation between subjectively and objectively assessed cognitive and physical functioning among community-dwelling stroke survivors, and to examine the association of stroke severity with subjectively and objectively assessed cognitive and physical impairments.

Materials And Methods: Secondary data analysis was conducted with 127 community-dwelling stroke survivors. For cognitive functioning, objective measures included the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery and the Executive Function Performance Test; subjective measures included the Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders Applied Cognition.