The effectiveness of perceived social support and adherence on activities of daily living performance (ADL) and functional outcomes in first time stroke survivors

The impact of social support and adherence on health and well being has been widely researched and well established as a positive influence, but limited research exists on the impact of perceived social support and adherence, on activities of daily living (ADLs) and functional outcomes in first time stroke victims. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of perceived social support and adherence on ADL performance and functional outcomes in first time male and female stroke survivors aged 40--64 years. A predictive correlation study design was employed to examine the impact amongst variables for 116 individuals located in inpatient rehabilitation facilities in southeastern Louisiana. The variables addressed in this study are perceived social support, adherence, activities of daily living performance and functional outcomes.;Two conceptual bases served as the study's paradigm. The first is the theoretical framework of Cohen (1988), a social psychologist who has extensively researched the relationships between social support and health. The second is Orem's (2001) self-care deficit theory of nursing, focusing on health care needs related to the individual's self care inabilities. These theoretical frameworks provided direction in the concepts.;Pearson's Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) analysis was used to test hypotheses related to relationships between perceived social support and adherence in first time male and female stroke survivors aged 40--64 years. The t-tests were used to reveal differences between gender, perceived social support and adherence in first time stroke survivors. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine the effectiveness of age on perceived social support and adherence in first time stroke survivors; and multiple regression analysis was used to predict variations in ADL's performances and functional outcomes for first time male and female stroke survivors aged 40--64 years based on adherence.;A positive significant relationship was found to exist between perceived social support and adherence as measured by the Personal Response Questionnaire and the Medical Outcomes Study General Measure of Patient Adherence Tool; subjects' r (114) = .423, p < .001 as level of perceived social support increased so did adherence. Also, significant relationships were found to exist between perceived social support and functional outcomes. Perceived social support was a significant factor in predicting functional outcomes (p = 0.046). The relationships amongst perceived social support, adherence, ADL's performance, gender and age were not significant. Findings from this study indicate that more research is needed in order to develop more disease specific research tools that will measure factors that can impact how nurses and other health care professionals provide anticipatory guidance for patients who experienced a stroke and their family members.