How Drawings and Illness Perceptions Relate to Recovery Following Stroke

Abstract

Emerging research suggests that drawings can be a valuable tool for assessing the beliefs patients’ hold about their illness. This study aimed to investigate perceptions about stroke amongst patients and their caregivers through drawings and questionnaires, and to examine how these perceptions relate to physical and psychological functioning. Forty-one patients admitted to Auckland City Hospital with stroke and 27 caregivers completed baseline assessments. These included measures of stroke severity, illness perceptions, psychological status, and a drawing task. A follow-up was conducted three months after the onset of stroke and was completed by 36 patients and 21 caregivers. Participants completed a second drawing task and measures of illness perceptions, psychological status, patient disability, stroke-related quality of life or caregiving experience, and perceived recovery. The results revealed that patients’ illness perceptions and carers’ drawings and illness perceptions were associated with current as well as future health outcomes. After controlling for patients’ stroke severity, age, and depression at baseline, only carers’ drawings and illness perceptions continued to predict patient outcomes at three months. Specifically, larger drawing size and higher perceived patient concern among carers at baseline predicted lower physical functioning amongst patients at three months, while longer timeline beliefs predicted higher patient depression. The findings suggest that both patients’ and carers’ perceptions should be considered in the management of stroke, as these can have implications for physical recovery and psychological adjustment. The study showed that drawings are a useful adjunct to questionnaires for assessing perceptions about stroke. These simple and low-cost tools offer the opportunity to identify and clarify misconceptions that may hinder recovery and adjustment to stroke.