Long-term psychological outcomes following stroke: the OX-CHRONIC study

Kusec, Andrea; Milosevich, Elise; Williams, Owen A.; Chiu, Evangeline G.; Watson, Pippa; Carrick, Chloe; Drozdowska, Bogna A.; Dillon, Avril; Jennings, Trevor; Anderson, Bloo; Dawes, Helen; Thomas, Shirley; Kuppuswamy, Annapoorna; Pendlebury, Sarah T.; Quinn, Terence J.; Demeyere, Nele

Abstract

Background

Stroke survivors rate longer-term (> 2 years) psychological recovery as their top priority, but data on how frequently psychological consequences occur is lacking. Prevalence of cognitive impairment, depression/anxiety, fatigue, apathy and related psychological outcomes, and whether rates are stable in long-term stroke, is unknown.

Methods

N = 105 long-term stroke survivors (M [SD] age = 72.92 [13.01]; M [SD] acute NIH Stroke Severity Score = 7.39 [6.25]; 59.0% Male; M [SD] years post-stroke = 4.57 [2.12]) were recruited (potential N = 208). Participants completed 3 remote assessments, including a comprehensive set of standardized cognitive neuropsychological tests comprising domains of memory, attention, language, and executive function, and questionnaires on emotional distress, fatigue, apathy and other psychological outcomes. Ninety participants were re-assessed one year later. Stability of outcomes was assessed by Cohen’s d effect size estimates and percent Minimal Clinically Important Difference changes between time points.

Results

On the Montreal Cognitive Assessment 65.3% scored < 26. On the Oxford Cognitive Screen 45.9% had at least one cognitive impairment. Attention (27.1%) and executive function (40%) were most frequently impaired. 23.5% and 22.5% had elevated depression/anxiety respectively. Fatigue (51.4%) and apathy (40.5%) rates remained high, comparable to estimates in the first-year post-stroke. Attention (d = -0.12; 85.8% stable) and depression (d = 0.09, 77.1% stable) were the most stable outcomes. Following alpha-adjustments, only perceptuomotor abilities (d = 0.69; 40.4% decline) and fatigue (d = -0.33; 45.3% decline) worsened over one year. Cognitive impairment, depression/anxiety, fatigue and apathy all correlated with worse quality of life.

Conclusion

Nearly half of participants > 2 years post-event exhibited psychological difficulties including domains of cognition, mood, and fatigue, which impact long-term quality of life. Stroke is a chronic condition with highly prevalent psychological needs, which require monitoring and intervention development.

Citation

Kusec, A., Milosevich, E., Williams, O. A., Chiu, E. G., Watson, P., Carrick, C., …Demeyere, N. (2023). Long-term psychological outcomes following stroke: the OX-CHRONIC study. BMC Neurology, 23, Article 426. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-023-03463-5

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 10, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Nov 30, 2023
• Publication Date: Nov 30, 2023
• Deposit Date: Feb 5, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 5, 2024
• Journal: BMC Neurology
• Electronic ISSN: 1471-2377
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 23
• Article Number: 426
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-023-03463-5
• Keywords: Apathy, Stroke, Cognition, Long-term stroke, Mood, Psychological outcomes, Fatigue
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/28134040
• Publisher URL: https://bmcneurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12883-023-03463-5
• Additional Information: Received: 19 May 2023; Accepted: 10 November 2023; First Online: 30 November 2023; : ; : This study received ethical approval from the Health Research Authority—South Central Berkshire Research Ethics Committee approved this study (REC Reference: 19/SC/0520). All methods were conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. All participants provided informed consent to participate in the study.; : Not applicable.; : ND is a developer of the Oxford Cognitive Screen but does not receive any remuneration from its use. TJQ chairs the DMC for a vascular cognitive impairment trial supported by NovoNordisk; TJQ has provided outcomes assessment and advisory board input for trials in cognition for Novartis, NovoNordisk. All other authors declare no competing interests.