Aims
Commonly, post stroke, many individuals may not achieve complete recovery. Therefore greater research is warranted to explain how individuals adapt to their condition. Empirical stroke studies to date have focused on clinical and neurological factors post stroke (Saxena et al., 2006).
Methods
Roy¿s Adaptation Model (RAM) embraces the concept of adaptation and categorises outcomes of the individual into four bio-psychosocial response adaptive modes. The Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS) (Derogatis and Derogatis, 1990) assesses a person¿s psychological and social adjustment to illness. It comprises of forty-six questions that cover seven domains of psychosocial adjustment. The bio-psychosocial response adaptive modes within RAM depict similar typology of indicators to that of the psychosocial domains within the PAIS. A search was conducted using the electronic databases to retrieve studies that used the PAIS.
Results
Sixteen studies were conducted between 2000-2010. Seven studies explored adjustment of patients diagnosed with cancer and the remaining studied other chronic illnesses. Only one study explored the relationship between PAIS and brain damage post stroke. This study was not included in the final review as it is only published in Japanese. Strengths of the PAIS and the appropriateness of this measure to predict adaptive coping in individuals with a chronic illness are discussed.
Conclusion
Research is necessary to inform healthcare professionals how individuals adjust post stroke. The PAIS is a scale which captures many of the adaptive modes within the RAM. Therefore a study is proposed utilising this theoretical framework to determine the extent of psychosocial adjustment to stroke.