Effectiveness of Mindfulness and Self-Regulation Program on Healthcare Behaviors among Stroke Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Stroke is the second cause of Thai death after cancer. Therefore, stroke patients need to change their healthcare behavior (HB) for sustainable recovery. Objective: To study the effectiveness of mindfulness and self-regulation program (MSRP) on the HB and to analyze the interaction between family social support (FSS), and MSRP on HB of stroke patients. Materials and Methods: The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were designed to test the program’s effectiveness. Fifty-eight stroke patients at the Neurological Institute participated in this trial. This was calculated by using G*Power 3.1 at power 0.85. Random assignment was used to allocate 28 participants in the experimental and 30 in the control group. The data were collected from the Likert rating scale with a Cronbach’s reliability of 0.934 to 0.989. The MSRP ran for five weeks with five activities between April and December 2021. T-tests and two-way ANOVA were used for data analyses. Results: After participation, stroke patients had a mean HB of 5.32 (SD 0.423) and were at a high level. The MSRP was effective, significantly enhancing HB. Additionally, the experimental group had a higher HB than the control group and higher than before participation in the intervention (p<0.05). The present study found that the interaction between FSS and the MSRP affected HB. Conclusion: This MSRP should be used to initiate promoting the HB of stroke patients. Keywords: Mindfulness; Self-regulation; Strokes; Healthcare; Health behavior; Health Program