Psychological factors are associated with subjective cognitive complaints 2 months post-stroke

• Published in: Neuropsychological rehabilitation 2017-01, Vol.27 (1), p.99-115
• Main Authors: Nijsse, Britta, van Heugten, Caroline M., van Mierlo, Marloes L., Post, Marcel W. M., de Kort, Paul L. M., Visser-Meily, Johanna M. A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Age Factors; Aged; Anxiety; Anxiety - psychology; Anxiety Disorders - psychology; Anxiety-Depression; Cognition & reasoning; Cognitive ability; Cognitive complaints; Cognitive Dysfunction - psychology; Cognitive impairment; Cognitive skills; Comorbidity; Complaints; Coping; Cross-Sectional Studies; Demography; Depression; Depression - psychology; Diagnostic Self Evaluation; Emotional disturbances; Emotions; Extraversion; Extraversion (Psychology); Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Multiple regression analysis; Multivariate Analysis; Neurosis; Neuroticism; Optimism; Optimism - psychology; Pessimism; Pessimism - psychology; Proactivity; Psychological aspects; Psychological factors; Recurrent; Regression Analysis; Rehabilitation; Risk Factors; Self Efficacy; Sex Factors; Stroke; Stroke - psychology; Stroke Rehabilitation
• ISSN: 0960-2011; 1464-0694
• DOI: 10.1080/09602011.2015.1065280

The aim of this study was to investigate which psychological factors are related to post-stroke subjective cognitive complaints, taking into account the influence of demographic and stroke-related characteristics, cognitive deficits and emotional problems. In this cross-sectional study, 350 patients were assessed at 2 months post-stroke, using the Checklist for Cognitive and Emotional consequences following stroke (CLCE-24) to identify cognitive complaints. Psychological factors were: proactive coping, passive coping, self-efficacy, optimism, pessimism, extraversion, and neuroticism. Associations between CLCE-24 cognition score and psychological factors, emotional problems (depressive symptoms and anxiety), cognitive deficits, and demographic and stroke characteristics were examined using Spearman correlations and multiple regression analyses. Results showed that 2 months post-stroke, 270 patients (68.4%) reported at least one cognitive complaint. Age, sex, presence of recurrent stroke(s), comorbidity, cognitive deficits, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and all psychological factors were significantly associated with the CLCE-24 cognition score in bivariate analyses. Multiple regression analysis showed that psychological factors explained 34.7% of the variance of cognitive complaints independently, and 8.5% (p