Abstract
Background: The disruption of a stroke can impact an individual’s sense of social identity. A comprehensive review is required to understand the factors and processes that influence changes in social identity following a stroke. Aims: To undertake a review of literature to discover a process of social identity evolution for people with stroke and identify the factors which influence it. Methods: A meta-ethnographic approach to review was undertaken and a subtle realist viewpoint was assumed. Studies were included if they documented experiences and perceptions relating to stroke. Eight electronic databases were searched from January 2009 until January 2019. Quality assessment and synthesis techniques were applied. Findings: Out of the 18 papers included, a total of 251 (141/251, 56% male, 109/251, 43% female, 1/251, 0.4% undisclosed) individuals were included within the synthesis. The evolution of social-identity model was developed and identified with five key stages to represent a process that individuals with stroke can experience. Factors which influence the process were identified and direct implications for clinical practice are given. Conclusion: This review has highlighted the major themes within the evolution of social identity and management strategies for risk taking to achieve a desired future. Further research is required to consider how these findings may be tested in clinical practice.
Highlights
Within the UK, there are more than 100,000 cases of stroke recorded each year [1]
From the studies included within the qualitative synthesis, the total number of post-stroke participants was 251 (141/251, 56% male, 109/251, 43% female, 1 undisclosed)
Most studies did not disclose the type of stroke diagnosis (13/18, 72%) with only five (5/18, 28%) specifying the diagnosis
Summary
Within the UK, there are more than 100,000 cases of stroke recorded each year [1]. The average age of onset has decreased within higher income countries across the past 30 years [2] and one in four strokes affect the working aged population [3]. The disruption and devastation of a stroke to a person’s lifestyle will impact daily routine, hobbies, roles and relationships within their life, leaving them with a distorted sense of social identity [5]. The disruption of a stroke can impact an individual’s sense of social identity. A comprehensive review is required to understand the factors and processes that influence changes in social identity following a stroke. Aims: To undertake a review of literature to discover a process of social identity evolution for people with stroke and identify the factors which influence it. The evolution of social-identity model was developed and identified with five key stages to represent a process that individuals with stroke can experience. Factors which influence the process were identified and direct implications for clinical practice are given. Further research is required to consider how these findings may be tested in clinical practice
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