Although the association between social participation and memory function has been documented in other populations, whether it exists among stroke survivors is unclear. Additionally, the mechanisms underlying this association are largely unknown. We attempted to examine the association between social participation and memory function in stroke survivors and the possible mediating role of depressive symptoms. A total of 614 stroke survivors (mean age: 64.73 years) drawn from a nationally representative survey in China were investigated. Based on the descriptive statistics, a Pearson's correlation and bootstrapping-based mediation analysis were executed. The results indicated that an increase in social participation was associated with a decrease in depressive symptoms (r = -0.100, p < 0.05) and an increase in memory function (r = 0.162, p < 0.01). Moreover, memory function was significantly negatively related to depressive symptoms (r = -0.243, p < 0.01). In addition, after controlling for sociodemographic factors, depressive symptoms partially mediated the effects of social participation on memory function. Due to the cross-sectional research design, causal relationships cannot be verified between the study variables. However, interventions aimed at aiding stroke survivors in memory impairment recovery may consider strategies to enhance social participation and mitigate depressive symptoms.
Background: Relational aspects of self-awareness following Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) are increasingly being recognized. However, research underpinning the nature of the association between self-awareness and quality of relationships has yet to be synthesized.
Method: Searches, which were completed between February 2022 and February 2023, consisted of combining terms related to ABI, self-awareness, and quality of relationships. Data were analyzed using the Synthesis Without Meta-Analysis (SWiM) approach.
Results: Associations between self-awareness and relationship quality across eight studies identified for this review differed in direction and significance. A more consistent pattern emerged, however, when studies assessing the quality of specific types of relationships i.e., spousal (N = 1) and therapeutic (N = 3), were compared to studies assessing the quality of a person's broader network of relationships (N = 4). In particular, good awareness was positively associated with the quality of specific relationships (r = 0.66) whereas it was negatively associated with the quality of a person's broader network of relationships (r = -0.35).
Conclusion: Results are discussed with consideration given to measures assessing the quality of specific relationships. In particular, such measures may tap into important patterns of interaction between two individuals, such as those related to attunement or communication, which may be valuable preconditions for improving awareness.
Clinical trials registration number: NCT05145855.