“I’m a big, big baby now”: A qualitative study on the lived experiences of individuals with stroke in Singapore

Research Objectives: To investigate the quality of life, lived experiences, and unmet needs of the individual with first-time stroke.

Design: Using a phenomenological approach, this cross-sectional, qualitative study aims to explore the lived experiences of the individual with stroke. Participants were purposively sampled from a community hospital, and the general community. Inductive thematic analysis was employed to analyze the transcribed interviews.

Setting: Participants were recruited from the community hospital and general community.

Participants: 25 adults (16 Female, 9 Male) were recruited. Majority of the participants were more than 12 months post-stroke at the time of interview.

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measures: An interview guide containing questions that probed the quality of life of the individual with stroke was used.

Results: Four themes were generated: (1) an altered sense of who I am, (2) navigating a path that is no longer familiar, (3) ongoing adjustments in recovery, and (4) age-specific needs. Stroke disrupted a person’s sense of self, which constituted fundamental aspects of a person’s life. Participants employed practical and psycho-social strategies to mitigate their impairments. Given its evolving nature, participants addressed the importance of adapting to changing expectations, roles, and relationship dynamics. Barriers in the environment included discontinuity in care and support, and limited inclusivity in the community. Younger individuals with stroke illustrated different rehabilitation goals, expectations, as well as return to work considerations.

Conclusions: Stroke recovery needs to be comprehensive, flexible, and personalized to account for the broad-ranging needs of the individual with stroke. The findings highlighted the importance of a tailored psycho-social support, coordinated care and communication, and provision of personalized support. Future studies could explore the role of individualized, psychosocial support for the individual with stroke, particularly, of different age groups.

Author(s) Disclosures: None.