Psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the General Self-Efficacy Scale in stroke survivors.

The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of a Swedish version of the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) in stroke survivors. The GSE was administered by the same assessor on two occasions 3 weeks apart with 34 stroke survivors (21 men, 13 women; mean age=68.1 years) 6-10 months after stroke. Psychometric properties including targeting and scaling assumptions, and several reliability indices, were calculated. The mean score was well above the midpoint of the scale and the total scores spanned almost the entire scale range. Floor and ceiling effects were within the limits of 15-20% for total scores (0 and 8.8%, respectively), but not for each item individually. Total skewness was estimated at -1.02 and skewness for individual items was estimated as -1.55 to -0.33. The corrected item-total correlations were all above 0.3, except for one item. Cronbach's α was high (0.92) and the test-retest reliability was acceptable (intraclass correlation coefficient2,1=0.82). The mean difference (đ) was -0.68 (NS). The SEM was 2.97 (SEM%; 9.40). In conclusion, although targeting in relation to skewness and ceiling effects was observed in some items, the GSE was reliable for use in mobile stroke survivors 6-10 months after stroke

Demand, control and support at work and associations to physical inactivity

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate if there are associations between job stress in terms of demand, control, and support and physical inactivity. Method: A cross-sectional design was used in this study which is based on the “Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health” (SLOSH) from 2006. SLOSH includes men and women, between 19-68 years old and from all labor markets sectors. A total of 5 141 participants sent in their survey. Indices of the components in the demand-control-support model were created and multiple regression analyses with physical inactivity as the dependent variable were performed. Adjustment for possible confounders (age, sex, marital status, children, education, physical work, computer work, working hours, shift work, smoking, alcohol consumption, sleep quality and BMI) were made. Result: The main result showed an association between passive work (low demands and low control) in combination with poor support and physical inactivity. This result was statistically significant both unadjusted (OR: 1.38, CI: 1.12-1.71) and adjusted (OR: 1.28, CI: 1.03-1.59) for several covariates. Conclusion: This study suggests that especially passive work (low demands and low control) in combination with poor support from supervisors and colleagues are associated to physical inactivity. Further research needs to establish causality

Demand, control and support at work and associations to physical inactivity

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate if there are associations between job stress in terms of demand, control, and support and physical inactivity. Method: A cross-sectional design was used in this study which is based on the “Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health” (SLOSH) from 2006. SLOSH includes men and women, between 19-68 years old and from all labor markets sectors. A total of 5 141 participants sent in their survey. Indices of the components in the demand-control-support model were created and multiple regression analyses with physical inactivity as the dependent variable were performed. Adjustment for possible confounders (age, sex, marital status, children, education, physical work, computer work, working hours, shift work, smoking, alcohol consumption, sleep quality and BMI) were made. Result: The main result showed an association between passive work (low demands and low control) in combination with poor support and physical inactivity. This result was statistically significant both unadjusted (OR: 1.38, CI: 1.12-1.71) and adjusted (OR: 1.28, CI: 1.03-1.59) for several covariates. Conclusion: This study suggests that especially passive work (low demands and low control) in combination with poor support from supervisors and colleagues are associated to physical inactivity. Further research needs to establish causality

Demand, control and support at work and associations to physical inactivity

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate if there are associations between job stress in terms of demand, control, and support and physical inactivity. Method: A cross-sectional design was used in this study which is based on the “Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health” (SLOSH) from 2006. SLOSH includes men and women, between 19-68 years old and from all labor markets sectors. A total of 5 141 participants sent in their survey. Indices of the components in the demand-control-support model were created and multiple regression analyses with physical inactivity as the dependent variable were performed. Adjustment for possible confounders (age, sex, marital status, children, education, physical work, computer work, working hours, shift work, smoking, alcohol consumption, sleep quality and BMI) were made. Result: The main result showed an association between passive work (low demands and low control) in combination with poor support and physical inactivity. This result was statistically significant both unadjusted (OR: 1.38, CI: 1.12-1.71) and adjusted (OR: 1.28, CI: 1.03-1.59) for several covariates. Conclusion: This study suggests that especially passive work (low demands and low control) in combination with poor support from supervisors and colleagues are associated to physical inactivity. Further research needs to establish causality

Stroke survivors’ preferences regarding study participation in rehabilitation research

Background: To pursue high quality research, successful participant recruitment is essential, but recruitment rates are often low. This is specifically true in target populations with impairments, for instance, among stroke survivors. Previous studies focusing on recruitment have mainly relied on information from professionals, and there is therefore a need to contribute with new methodological insights to how potential rehabilitation research participants describe their interest and preferences to participate in research. The purpose of this study was to generate knowledge about stroke survivors’ interest in participating in rehabilitation research, reasons for being interested or not, and preferred forms and foci of rehabilitation interventions. An additional aim was to describe preferences regarding survey administration modes and processes for recruitment to studies. Method: This cross-sectional study recruited Swedish residents who had sustained a stroke, initially by using advertisement on the National Stroke Association’s website, flyers posted at local occupational and physical therapy offices and at local stroke/senior organization meetings. Secondly, participants were recruited through a local stroke register. The survey, administered either in a paper form returned by postal mail; online or as a phone interview with 128 stroke survivors. Results: Most of the participants were interested in participating in rehabilitation research, particularly younger persons (p = 0.001) and those closer to stroke onset (p = 0.047). Contribution to research, possibility to try new rehabilitation interventions and meeting others in the same situation were reasons that attracted an interest to participate. Other important aspects were related to motivation, individual needs, as well as how skilled the people who provided the intervention were. Participants preferred group-based programs, and programs focusing on regaining lost functions were highly requested. A majority wanted to be contacted through postal mail (70%) and most of them (90%) used the paper form to respond to the survey. Conclusions: A range of personal and external aspects, including challenges related to digitized administration modes, should be considered to achieve high participation rates in rehabilitation research targeting stroke survivors. The importance of addressing individual needs and prerequisites in an individualized manner should not be underestimated and might be a useful strategy to recruitment success

BUS TRIPS—A self-management program for people with cognitive impairments after stroke

Stroke is a major cause of disability worldwide and different types of impairments can affect the individual’s ability to manage everyday activities such as travel that is essential for participation in society. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of a new self-management intervention (BUS TRIPS) focusing on travelling by bus, and potential contributions to an improved ability to travel by bus for people with cognitive impairments after stroke. This is a pilot study of five individuals, utilizing a multiple case study design with a mixed methods approach. Assessments (Stroke Impact Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale and Life Satisfaction Scale-11, Item 1) were performed before, two weeks after, and three months after the program. The data collection also comprised reflection notes from the group leaders (an occupational therapist and a physiotherapist), a semi-structured group interview and an individual phone survey. The feasibility of the intervention was presented in four sub-categories: (1) appreciated group format despite too short sessions, (2) the importance of skilled leaders and motivated participants, (3) session material adequate but needs minor revision to fit the target group, and (4) homework is valuable but reflective group discussions must be supported. The narratives of each case showed that all participants made some progress related to travelling by bus, but the overall positive results could not be verified by all of the quantitative assessments. We conclude that the BUS TRIPS intervention is feasible and can potentially contribute to an improved ability to travel by bus for the target group. Future studies is called for, and should focus on recruitment challenges, to clarify assessments that would be suitable to use in larger scale clinical trials and during subsequent implementation in clinical practice

Long-term predictors of participation in social and leisure activities ten years after stroke.

Many people are living with the consequences of a stroke for a great partof their lives, but knowledge is lacking on how rehabilitation and social services should bedesigned in a long-term perspective. There is a particular need for knowledge on how tosupport long-term participation in social and leisure activities