And if you don't have this as a result of your stroke you are damned resilient.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121213172258.htm
People over age 65 with high psychosocial distress face
increased risk of stroke , according to new research in the American
Heart Association journal Stroke.
Psychosocial distress is a broad concept that includes depression, stress, a negative outlook and dissatisfaction with life.
In their 10-year study, researchers followed 4,120 people in the
Chicago Health and Aging Project for rates of death and stroke
incidents. Due to some participants being involved in an HMO only 2,649
participants were analyzed for rates of incident stroke. Participants
were 65 years and older (average age 77, 62 percent women, 61 percent
African American). Researchers identified 151 deaths from stroke and 452
events that led to first-time hospitalization for stroke.
Those with the most psychosocial distress had three times the risk of
death from stroke and a 54 percent increased risk of first
hospitalization from stroke compared to those least distressed.
The impact of psychosocial distress on stroke risk did not differ by race or by sex, researchers said.
"People should be aware that stress and negative emotions often
increase with age," said Susan Everson-Rose, Ph.D., M.P.H., study senior
author and associate professor of medicine and associate director of
the Program in Health Disparities Research at the University of
Minnesota in Minneapolis. "Family members and caregivers need to
recognize these emotions have a profound effect on health."
In a separate analysis, researchers found a striking association
between psychosocial distress and risk of hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding),
but not ischemic stroke (caused by blood clot).
"There was about 70 percent excess risk for each unit increase in
distress that wasn't explained by known stroke risk factors,"
Everson-Rose said. "So there must be other biologic pathways at play
linking distress to hemorrhagic stroke in particular."
The researchers measured psychosocial distress by four indicators:
perceived stress, life dissatisfaction, neuroticism and depressive
symptoms. They used standardized rating scales to determine the score of
each indicator, such as the 6-item Perceived Stress Scale. For each
indicator, higher scores represent a higher level of psychosocial
distress. A distress factor score was based on averaging the values of
the psychosocial measures.
For the study, researchers conducted in-depth interviews in homes in
three stable neighborhoods on the south side of Chicago representing
African-Americans and Caucasians from the same socio-economic spectrum.
The interviews covered medical history, cognitive function,
socioeconomic status, behavioral patterns, traditional risk factors for
stroke and psychosocial characteristics.
Stroke deaths were verified by the National Death Index and stroke
hospitalizations were based on Medicare claims from the Center for
Medicare and Medicaid Services.
"It's important to pay attention when older people complain of
distress and recognize that these symptoms have physical effects on
health outcome and clearly affect stroke risk," Everson-Rose said.
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