The Relationship Between Upper Limb Function and Participation and Independence in Daily Activities of Life in People With Stroke

Abstract

Objective: Upperlimb function impairment is one of the most common consequences of stroke and a part of the motor functions, that has been considered as a necessary basis for the implementation of various of occupation and participation. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the relationship between upper extremity function and level of participation and independence in the activities of daily living in people with history of stroke in less than two years ago. Materials & Methods: This study is non-experimental and cross-sectional. Among those referring to University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences with a history of stroke in less than two years ago, the patients were selected by easy accessible sampling method. Upper limb performance was measured by Fogel-Meier and independency in daily living activities by the Functional Independence Scale (FIM) and participation by the Iranian Participation Questionnaire (IPQ).Data analysis was performed in SPSS V. 23 softwarebyusing Spearman correlation test. Results: The results showed that the correlation between upper limb performance and participation was a moderate direct relation (P=0.003, r=0.315) and there was a strong direct (r=0.625, P=0.00)correlation between upper limb performance and independence in activities of daily living. Conclusion: The relationship between upper limb function and independence in daily living activities is strong, so with further improvement and efficiency of the upper limbleadtoincreasesindependence in patients' activities of daily life. The relationship between upper limb function and participation is moderate, so to increase and improve the participation of stroke patients, in addition to upper limb mobility, other factors must be considered.