Effects of psychological intervention on rehabilitation of stroke patients

Objective To analyze the psychological characteristics of stroke patients and the effects of psychological interventions on their functional rehabilitation. Methods A total of 180 stroke patients with hemiplegia were randomly assigned to the control group (n=90) or the treatment group (n=90). Those of the control group received conventional drug therapy and rehabilitation programme, and those of the treatment group were additionally given psychological intervention.Symptom checklist (SCL-90) and the WHO QOL-100 checklist were used to assess the effect of psychological intervention on mental health of the participants. Results Before the treatment, the difference of SCL-90 results was not statistically significant between the two groups (P>0.05). At 3 months, SCL-90 results of the treatment group was lower in comparison with the baseline level (120.3±21.2 vs 133.1±34.1) and the control group (P 0.05). SCL-90 and the WHO QOL-100 checklist results in the treatment group were significantly different before and after the treatment (P 0.05). Conclusion Timely and appropriate psychological intervention could improve the functioning, reduce disability and improve the quality of life of stroke patients. Key words: Stroke; Rehabilitation; Intervention studies