| Demographic Characteristics |
All participants n = 80 |
Males n = 40 |
Females n = 40 |
| Mean age of participants (in years) |
62.77 (11.24)a |
65.35 (10.61) |
62.20 (11.95) |
| Mean age of participants at stroke onset (in years) |
53.85
(13.04) |
55.25 (12.09) |
52.45 (13.94) |
| Mean time since stroke onset (in years) |
9.06
(5.53) |
8.41
(4.83) |
9.71
(6.14) |
Brain lesion
Right hemisphere
Left hemisphere
Both hemispheres |
50%
35%
7.5% |
55%
30%
7.5% |
45%
40%
7.5% |
Marital status
Married/cohabiting
Single/divorced/widowed |
66.3%
33.8% |
75%
25% |
57.5%
42.5% |
Living arrangement
Alone
With others |
25%
75% |
20%
80% |
70%
30% |
| Socio-economic status (mean index score) |
1016 (71.63) |
N/Ab |
N/A |
Education
Less than 13 years
13 or more years |
60%
38.8% |
52.5%
45% |
67.5%
32.5% |
| Employment pre-stroke |
65% |
75% |
55% |
| Currently employed or doing voluntary work |
17.5% |
15% |
20% |
| Member of a stroke group |
72.5% |
72.5% |
72.5% |
| Attendance at stroke support group |
57.5% |
55% |
60% |
| Mean period of hospitalisation at stroke onset
(in weeks) |
11.78
(10.50) |
13.46 (10.26) |
10.15 (10.61) |
| Suffered more than one stroke |
33.8% |
37.5% |
30% |
| Health index (More than 3 doctor’s consultations)c |
23.8% |
25% |
22.5% |
| Mental health cared |
8.8% |
10% |
7.5% |
| Major physical health problem prior to stroke
(e.g., diabetes, heart attack) |
26.3% |
27.5% |
25% |
| Psychological/emotional problems prior to stroke |
21.3% |
20% |
22.5% |
| Family psychiatric history |
8.8% |
7.5% |
10% |
| Anti-depressant / anti-anxiety drugs |
31.3% |
35% |
27.5% |
Note. The index of Economic Resources from the latest Australian Census Data conducted in 2006 was used to identify the socio-economic status of the participants who
took part in this study.