London, June 19 (IANS) Suffering a stroke can have a devastating impact on relationships and can lead to significant changes in how couples relate to each other on a physical, psychological, social and emotional level, according to a recent study.
“All the participants perceived stroke as a life-changing event,” said Hillary Thompson, a researcher from the University of Ulster.

The study found that sexual relationships were adversely affected after a stroke. Gender roles became blurred and feelings like anger and frustration were confounded by a lack of independence and continuous fatigue.

“They faced a continuous daily struggle to achieve some sense of normality and that required huge amounts of physical and mental effort,” added Thompson.

In order to better help stroke patients, Thompson and her colleagues suggest that nurse education should focus on both the physical and psychosocial effects of stroke so that nurses can provide holistic care to stroke survivors and their spouses.

This study was published in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

– Indo-Asian News Service

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