Relationship between perceptions of recurrence risk and depression state among first-episode ischemic stroke patients in rural areas: The mediating role of coping style.
Xueting Liu, Zhenxiang Zhang, Beilei Lin and 9 others
PMID 37014075WHAT IT FOUND
Stroke survivors who perceived a higher risk of recurrence showed fewer depressive symptoms.
This link was partly explained by coping style. Higher risk perception was associated with more positive coping, which in turn was associated with lower depression scores.
Key findings
01Depression scores were negatively correlated with perceived recurrence risk.
02Perceived recurrence risk was positively correlated with positive coping and negatively correlated with negative coping.
03Positive coping was negatively associated with depression, while negative coping was positively associated with depression.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The cross-sectional design cannot prove causation; we do not know if risk perception caused better coping or if better coping led to different risk perceptions. The study was conducted in a single rural area in China, so results may not apply to urban populations or other countries. Convenience sampling was used, which may introduce bias. Self-reported measures were used for depression and coping, which can be influenced by social desirability or recall bias.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Health Commission of Henan Province. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that telling patients their stroke recurrence risk is high will reduce their depression. The study shows an association between higher risk perception and lower depression, mediated by coping style, but it does not prove that increasing risk perception causes better coping or reduced depression. The direction of causality is unknown.