Stroke Professionals’ Views and Experiences of Supporting Young Stroke Survivors (Yss) Who Have Dependent Children

Background
Stroke is a leading cause of disability both in the UK and worldwide. One in four strokes happen to people under 65 and the incidence is rising. Young stroke survivors with dependent children may experience difficulty in their ability to parent their children, with disruption felt across the whole family system. There is a paucity of research on the experiences of rehabilitation staff working with young stroke survivors with dependent children leading to a lack of understanding about their views and experiences, and how supported they feel in their work. A better understanding of the experience of rehabilitation staff will contribute to offering effective family focused rehabilitation for this population.

Aim
The study aimed to contribute to the limited evidence base by gaining an understanding of how staff members of a stroke service experience working with young stroke survivors who have dependent children and how they experience support that facilitates their work.

Method
Semi-structured interviews were carried out with ten members of an Early Supported Discharge (ESD) stroke team, including Psychologists, Physiotherapists, Speech & language Therapists and Occupational Therapists. A critical realist thematic analysis was used to analysis the data.

Results
The analysis generated three higher-order themes; “There is More to Hold,” “Working into the Complexity,” and “Impact on Staff”. The study found staff from ESD teams experience working with young stroke survivors with dependent children as unique. They noticed loss and change in the parenting of young stroke survivors and their role within their family. Staff described including parenting related treatment goals into rehabilitation and including the children of young stroke survivors into therapy sessions. Working with young stroke survivors with dependent children may elicit a difficult emotional response for ESD team staff. They talked about valuing and utilising the support provided by the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT).

Conclusion
This study contributes to a small body of literature on family-centred rehabilitation practises. Recommendations for practice, policy and research have been proposed.