Effect of Anxiety and Depression on Quality of Life A mong Stroke Survivors

Background: Stroke is a major cause of death and disability globally, and post-stroke depression and anxiety are very common but often overlooked, leading to worse recovery and lower quality of life. The Stroke-Specific Quality of Life (SS QOL) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS 21) are tools used to measure the quality of life and emotional problems in stroke survivors. Aim: The goal of this study was to examine the quality of life of individuals who had an ischemic stroke and look at how it relates to depression and anxiety after the stroke. Methods: A survey was conducted with 100 ischemic stroke survivors aged 45 to 65, who had had a stroke between three and six months earlier. These participants were selected through convenience sampling from neurological rehabilitation centers in Bangalore. Information was collected using Google Forms. The DASS 21 helped assess depression and anxiety, while the SS QOL measured quality of life. Additional data on the participants’ background and clinical details were also gathered. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis were used to analyze the data and look for relationships between the DASS 21 scores and the SS QOL total scores. Results: The average age of the participants was 55.16 years (with a standard deviation of 6.05), and the average time since the stroke was 4.37 months (with a standard deviation of 1.08). The average DASS 21 depression score was 10.37 (standard deviation 7.01), and the average anxiety score was 9.54 (standard deviation 5.93). Both scores were slightly above normal thresholds, suggesting that the participants had common emotional symptoms. The average SS QOL total score was 185.17 (standard deviation 37.39), reflecting a moderate level of stroke-specific quality of life. Depression and anxiety showed weak negative correlations with the SS QOL scores (r = -0.032 and r = -0.035 respectively), meaning that higher levels of emotional distress were associated with slightly lower quality of life, although the relationships were small. Conclusion: Ischemic stroke survivors in the subacute phase had a moderate quality of life and mild levels of depression and anxiety. Higher emotional distress was linked to slightly worse stroke-specific quality of life. These findings show the need for regular psychological screening and integrated rehabilitation strategies that address emotional and functional needs to improve outcomes after a stroke.