Dyadic analysis of illness perceptions among individuals with stroke and their caregivers: effects on activity engagement in community living

Purpose: To explore the relationship between activity engagement and dyadic illness perceptions of community-dwelling individuals with stroke and their caregivers. Methods: We performed a secondary analysis on a cross-sectional study encompassing eight rehabilitation settings. Participants were recruited from June to December 2019 via the distribution of flyers, use of admission databases, and direct onsite interactions. Activity engagement of individuals with stroke was measured by the Assessment of Life Habits. Dyadic illness perceptions were measured using the Stroke-Specific Illness Perceptions Questionnaire-Revised. Results: Data from 202 dyads of individuals with stroke (mean age 61.3 ± 8.3 years; 76.7% male; stroke duration 314.3 ± 170.5 days), and caregivers (mean age 52.6 ± 11.6 years; 73.3% female) were analyzed. Results show that individuals with stroke who shared similar optimistic illness perceptions with their caregivers concerning the consequences of stroke had a higher level of activity engagement (ΔR ² = .020, F(2,193) = 5.42, p = .005). Gender differences were found in the dyadic illness perception components concerning acute/chronic and cyclical timeline (ΔR ² = .017, F(2,191) = 4.72, p = .01; ΔR ² = .02, F(2,190) = 3.45, p = .034) and illness coherence (ΔR ² = .012, F(2,191) = 3.42, p = .035). Conclusions: Illness perceptions and post-stroke activity engagement with gender differences should be considered at a dyadic level, as the individuals with stroke and their caregivers influence each other’s beliefs.