Family affective response to right vs left hemisphere cerebrovascular accident.

Abstract

Little research has been conducted investigating family affective response to cerebrovascular accidents. This study examines the emotional sequelae suffered by the spouses and adult children of stroke victims along the dimensions of depression, loneliness, and locus of control. Subjects were classified into groups consisting of spouses of individuals suffering right hemisphere cerebrovascular accidents, adult children of right hemisphere stroke patients, spouses of patients suffering left hemisphere cerebrovascular accidents, and adult children of left hemisphere stroke patients. All subjects were administered the Beck Depression Inventory, the Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior Scale and the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Results indicate no significant differences in levels of depression between spouses, children, or family members of right hemisphere stroke patients as compared to family members of individuals suffering left hemisphere cerebrovascular accidents. Similarly, no differences in loneliness scores were found between spouses and adult children in right versus left hemisphere groups. There also were no differences between groups along the dimensions of wanted control, expressed control, or locus of control. Finally, there were no differences between spouses in either group in terms of wanted affection. The lack of significant differences between groups is felt to be related to a number of factors. Data were collected two to four weeks post-stroke, and it is believed that family members may still have been in the denial phase of the adjustment process. Also, they may have been engaging in "selective gating" (i.e., they may have been processing the positive, encouraging feedback presented by staff and filtering the negative feedback). Additionally, family members (particularly spouses) received much social support during the acute phase of the illness which may have mitigated affective responses. The above, along with the fact that family members may not have had realistic expectations concerning the amount of care the stroke victim would require and the alteration in lifestyle that often occurs may have combined to ameliorate the family emotional response to cerebrovascular accident.