J Nurs Acad Soc.  1990 Apr;20(1):88-117.

A Study on Factors Influencing The State of Adaptation of The Hemiplegic Patients

• Suh MJ

Abstract

The purposes of this study are to delineate a profile of the state of a stroke patient's adaptation at 3 months after hospitalization and to explore the relationship between the level of adaptaion and the variables which influnence the adaptation of hemiplegic patients. To these ends, theoretical framework was derived basically from the stress adaptaion model. The basic assumption underlying the level of adaptation is influenced by the presenting focal, contextual and residual stimuli. This group of stimuli is further operationalized and represented by a perception of stress, which is the perceived effect of the disability and by the mediating variables such as sociodemographic factors as an external conditioning variables and perceived social support and hardiness pcraonality chara cteristics as an internal intervening variables. The dependent varibales in this study is the level of physical, psychological and social adaptation and is hypothesized to be a function of the interaction between 3 sets of variables namely, the perceived disability effect, external conditioning variables and internal intevening varibles. A total of fourty three subjects from 3 general hospitals in Seoul were observed and interviewed with the aid of 7 structured instruments. The data were collected twice on each subject: first, at the predischarge period and at 3 months post - discharge from hospital for the second time. The study was carried out for the period from Februry to August, 1988. The instruments used for the study include 4 existing scales and 3 scales developed by the researcher for this study. They are : 1) The ADL dependency scale and the scale of the clinical physical functions for the assessment of physical adaptation. 2) the SDS(self report of depression) to measure the level of psychological adaptation. 3) The scale for the amount of social activities for the measurement of the level of social adaptation. 4) The scale for the perceived effect of disability for the measurment of the focal stimuli. 5) The health related hardiness scale and the perceived interpersonal support self evaluation list(ISEL) for the measurement of the hardiness personality character and the perceived social support. The data obtained were analyzed using percentage, oneway ANOVA, Pearson coefficients correlation and stepwise multiple regression. The findings provide valuable information about the present level of physical adaptation at 3 months after discharge. The patient revealed a decreased ADL dependency and lowered limitation of physical function as compared with pre - discharge state. Psychologic ally, the average degree of depression at follow up was within normal range of depression. Socially the amount of social activities was very low. The one way ANOVA and the correlational analysis revealed the relationship between the 3 sets of variables and the adaptation level as follows : 1) The perceived disability effect was related to the degree of the depression and the amount of social activities but was not related to the physical adaptation. 2) Among the sociodemographic variables, sex and education were related to the difference of ADL dependency and the change of physical function. These factors indicate that women more than men and educated more than the less educated were found more independent. The education was also related to the degree of depression suggesting that the higher the educational level, the more well adapted the patients were both physically and psychologically. Age, marital status and job state were not found to be related to the patient's adaptation level. 3) Among the internal intervening variables, the health related hardiness characteristic was related to the differences of ADL dependency, physical functions and the social activities, indicating that the higher the hardiness character the higher the level of physical and social adaptation. 4) The perceived social support, another internal intervening variable, was related to the degree of depression and the social activities. This data suggest that the higher the perception of social support, the better adapted the patients were psychogically and socially. In summarizing the results of the correlational analysis, the level of physical adaptation was influenced by sex, the years of education and the hardiness character. The level of psychological adaptation was influenced by the years of education, the perceived disability effect and the perceived social support. And the level of social adaptation was influenced by the perceived disability effect, the hardiness character and the perceived social support. The stepwise multiple regression analysis shows findings as follows : 1) The most important factor to explain the difference of ADL dependency was sex, indicating females were more independent than males. 2) The most important factor to explain the difference of physical function and the degree of depression was the patient's education level. 3) The strongest explaining factor for the amount of social activities was perceived self esteem (one of the subconcepts of perceived social support). Thus the most important factros influencing the level of adaptation were found to be sex, education, the hardiness character and self esteem. From the above findings, the significance of this study can be delineated as follows : 1) Corroboiation. of the assumed relationship between the various variables and the adaptation level as sug gested in the conceptual model. 2) Support for the feasibility of the cognitive app roach for nursing intervention such as hardiness character training, counselling and teaching for self-care in the chronic patients.

MeSH Terms

Activities of Daily Living
*Adaptation, Psychological
Adult
Aged
Female
Hemiplegia/*psychology/rehabilitation
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Regression Analysis
*Social Adjustment
Socioeconomic Factors