A qualitative study on the dissonant lived experienced of young and pre-elderly stroke survivors

Abstract

Introduction: The impact of a stroke episode on a body can be catastrophic and long-lasting. Most survivors are forced to live with the residual impairments for their entire lives. The subjective experience of one’s body and its related issues are usually overlooked due to the usual practice in mainstream medicine in viewing a body from a third-person perspective based on its anatomical structure. Since a holistic view of the personal illness experience may help both the physical and psycho-social rehabilitation in stroke patients, this study is set to examine the subjective experiences of the altered body in stroke survivors. Methods: Stroke survivors were recruited purposively based on their demographic characteristics. 10 adult stroke survivors (48 – 63 years old) who experienced a stroke episode from three months to 16 years before joining the study. Participants underwent a semi-structured, in-depth interview about their experiences with their bodies after a stroke episode, such as the altered sensations, movements, and relationships with oneself and the others. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed in detail using the interpretative phenomenological analysis approach. Results: Three main themes had emerged which included “disrupted condition within oneself”, “altered relationship with others” and “unharmonized with the environment”. Participants experienced miscommunications and misalignment between the body and the mind. They described their bodies as alienated and uncontrollable. The post-stroke body also created obstacles in interpersonal relationships. Participants felt highly guilty about the extra burden they created on their family members and friends. Furthermore, the altered body incited discrepancies with the environment that their limitations were further exaggerated in the environment they used to be acclimated. Conclusions: The results demonstrated that the stroke survivors struggled from the dissonance between the body and mind, and also with the outer world. Further studies are needed to understand how stroke survivors can cope with this disharmonized condition. Existing rehabilitation programs may also consider adding new elements to assist stroke survivors to diminish these dissonances between the mind and the body