Mental health literacy and quality of life among patients with stroke

Abstract

Objectives To study the level of mental health literacy and quality of life among patients with stroke and to investigate the relationship between mental health literacy and quality of life. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 150 purposively selected stroke patients at Sanpasithiprasong Hospital, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. Data were collected from October 2019 to March 2020. The research tool consisted of 3 parts: general and clinical data, a mental health literacy questionnaire, and the Thai version of the stroke-specific quality of life scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Results The mean age of participants was 51.80 years (SD 8.62); most were female (65.33%). The level of mental health literacy among patients with stroke was moderate (mean = 3.05, SD = 0.21). The quality of life among patients with stroke was moderate (mean = 3.06, SD = 0.66). The mental health literacy questionnaire yielded a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.92, and the Thai version of the stroke-specific quality of life scale yielded a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.96. Mental health literacy was statistically significantly associated with quality of life among patients with stroke (r = 0.484, p < .001). Conclusions The mental health literacy among patients with stroke was moderate as was their quality of life. Mental health literacy was significantly associated with quality of life among patients with stroke. This suggests that emphasizing and promoting mental health literacy among patients with stroke can improve and increase their quality of life. Chiang Mai Medical Journal 2021;60(1):63-74. doi 10.12982/CMUMEDJ.2021.06