Perceived control, coping and recovery from disability following stroke

Previous research has demonstrated that perceived control beliefs predict recovery from disability, allowing for initial levels of disability, in stroke patients. Theories of mental representations and coping would suggest that this relationship might be mediated by coping, by engaging in exercise, and that emotional factors might be involved. These hypotheses were examined in a longitudinal study of 71 patients interviewed in hospital within 3 weeks of the stroke, 1 month after discharge and 6 months after discharge. The results confirmed that perceived control predicted recovery from disability but no support was found for the mediating effects of exercise or mood. While the results offer some tentative suggestions for intervention, they point to deficiencies in current theories of disability.