The authors' aim in this phenomenologial and feminist study was to gain a deeper understanding of how female stroke survivors experienced their body after a stroke. They recruited 25 women in a rural area in eastern Norway who had suffered a first-time stroke and interviewed them in depth three times each during the first 1 1/2 to 2 years following the stroke. The data analysis was inspired by phenomenological method. The stroke survivors' experiences of their bodies were characterized by profound, disturbing, and, in part, unintelligible changes during the onset and the process of recovery from the stroke. Their experiences can be summarized under three major themes: The Unpredictable Body, The Demanding Body, and The Extended Body.

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The aim of this longitudinal phenomenological study was to explore how female stroke survivors experienced their life following a stroke and how they managed their altered situation. Twenty-five women suffering first-time stroke were interviewed in depth three times during the first one and a half years after the stroke. Applying the method of Giorgi, we found that there was a lengthy struggle to continue life and preserve the self following the stroke. The struggle was closely related to their deeply rooted identity as mothers, wives, grandmothers, and housewives. The situation of women following a stroke needs particular attention because their needs may conflict with their female caring roles. On the other hand, supporting them in transforming these roles may secure their sense of self and a continued meaningful life.

Older people with incurable cancer are still strongly connected to life in their daily living. The knowledge that the potential for resilience remains despite aging and serious decline in health is considered a source of comfort for older people living with this disease. Insights into the processes of existential meaning-making and resilience are seen as useful in order to increase our understanding of how older people adapt to adversity, and how their responses may help to protect them from some of the difficulties inherent to aging. Healthcare professionals can make use of this information in treatment planning and for identification of psychosocial and sociocultural resources to support older people and to strengthen patients' life resources.

BackgroundStroke is a major public health threat globally. Psychosocial well-being may be affected following stroke. Depressive symptoms, anxiety, general psychological distress and social isolation are prevalent. Approximately one third report depressive symptoms and 20% report anxiety during the first months or years after the stroke. Psychosocial difficulties may impact significantly on long-term functioning and quality of life, reduce the effects of rehabilitation services and lead to higher mortality rates. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of a previously developed and feasibility tested dialogue-based psychosocial intervention aimed at promoting psychosocial well-being and coping following stroke among stroke survivors with and without aphasia.MethodsThe study will be conducted as a multicenter, randomized, single blind controlled trial with one intervention and one control arm. It will include a total of 330 stroke survivors randomly allocated into either an intervention group (dialogue-based intervention to promote psychosocial well-being) or a control group (usual care). Participants in the intervention group will receive eight individual sessions of supported dialogues in their homes during the first six months following an acute stroke. The primary outcome measure will be psychosocial well-being measured by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Secondary outcome measures will be quality of life (SAQoL), sense of coherence (SOC), and depression (Yale). Process evaluation will be conducted in a longitudinal mixed methods study by individual qualitative interviews with 15–20 participants in the intervention and control groups, focus group interviews with the intervention personnel and data collectors, and a comprehensive analysis of implementation fidelity.DiscussionThe intervention described in this study protocol is based on thorough development and feasibility work, guided by the UK medical research council framework for developing and testing complex interventions. It combines classical effectiveness evaluation with a thorough process evaluation. The results from this study may inform the development of further trials aimed at promoting psychosocial well-being following stroke as well as inform the psychosocial follow up of stroke patients living at home.Trial registrationNCT02338869; registered 10/04/2014 (On-going trial).