Correlates of stigma for poststroke patients: A meta‐analysis

AIMS: A meta-analysis was carried out to review and identify correlates of stigma in poststroke patients. BACKGROUND: Patients suffer from impaired physical functions and sequelae of stroke. Stroke-related stigma hinders the recovery process and produces poorer clinical outcomes of stroke, leading to compromised quality of life. DESIGN: A systematic review and meta-analysis was reported by following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. REVIEW METHODS: Nine databases were searched from their inception to May 2021 to identify studies focused on the relationships among demographics, disease-related factors, psychosocial factors and poststroke stigma. Included studies were assessed by using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) scale. The statistical software R studios were used to perform statistical analysis. RESULTS: Nineteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. Four demographic factors (age, caregiver, residence, monthly income), seven stroke-related characteristics (type of stroke, mRS, ADLs, stroke duration, recurrence, sequelae, chronic disease comorbidity) and three psychosocial factors (depression, social support, quality of life) showed significant associations with stroke-related stigma. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study can serve as a foundation for designing interventions to reduce stigma and improve the overall quality of life of poststroke patients and may produce positive clinical outcomes. Healthcare professionals should be aware of stroke patients who are characterised by correlates of stigma. Relevance to clinical practice Poststroke patients showed a moderate-to-high level of stigma, and this issue warrants more attention. This review provides a preliminary foundation for healthcare professionals to develop interventions to address stroke-related stigma by focusing on demographic, disease-related and psychosocial factors. Additionally, stigma identification should be a part of clinical nursing evaluation. The involvement of clinical and community nursing is very important to screen stroke-related stigma and pay attention to this population.