The Role of Short Term Psychological and Somatic Anxiety in the Prediction of Long Term Anxiety of Early Hospital Discharged Patients with Complete Functional Recovery after a Mild Stroke

• Main Authors: Camille Vansimaeys, Aurélie Untas, Mathieu Zuber, Marie Bruandet, Claire Join-Lambert, Catherine Bungener
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: European Federation of Psychology Students' Associations 2017-06-01
• Series: Journal of European Psychology Students
• Subjects: anxiety; predictors; screening; early recovery; early hospital discharge; mild stroke
• Online Access: https://jeps.efpsa.org/articles/421
• ISSN: 2222-6931

<p class="p1">Few previous investigations have focused on post-stroke anxiety (PSA) predictors in mild stroke patients. The aim of the study was to determine whether anxiety-related psychological symptoms and psychomotor agitation predict PSA. We compared 10 anxious and 10 non-anxious patients at 6 months post-stroke (T2) to their psychological anxiety and psychomotor agitation levels 3 months earlier (T1). Anxious patients had more psychological anxiety symptoms than non-anxious patients. Overall T2 anxiety was strongly correlated with T1 psychological anxiety. Thus, psychological symptoms are a better predictor of PSA than somatic symptoms of anxiety. Those results could improve PSA diagnosis and prognosis by directing clinicians to pay particular attention to psychological anxiety after a stroke, even in early discharged patients with complete functional recovery.</p>