Article

Stroke is a leading cause of disability and sequelae may include
physical, emotional, and cognitive impairments. The methods employed to cope with
distress, both emotional and cognitive, have not been evaluated in individuals
post-stroke. However, research in traumatic brain injury (TBI) suggests that
executive function is positively correlated with adaptive coping and negatively
correlated with maladaptive coping strategies (Krpan et al., 2007). Examination
of these constructs post-stroke may assist with enriching our understanding of
cognitive and emotional symptomatology and optimize rehabilitation strategies.
OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to assess the association between executive
function and coping strategies in a sample of chronic stroke survivors. The
researchers hypothesized that executive function would be positively correlated
with adaptive coping strategies and negatively correlated with maladaptive coping
strategies. METHODS: Fifteen stroke survivors were administered a battery of
cognitive tests assessing executive function and also completed the Ways of
Coping Questionnaire (WAYS),
a self-report coping measure. RESULTS: Analyses
indicated that executive function deficits were related to increased avoidant
coping. Contrary to expectations, executive function was not significantly
related to active coping. In addition, post hoc analyses revealed that executive
function was a significant predictor of avoidant coping after controlling for
demographics. CONCLUSIONS: Our data, in accordance with prior work in TBI,
suggests that executive function and aspects of coping are associated.
Rehabilitation strategies that improve executive function may also lead to
utilization of adaptive coping strategies.
Research has shown that aerobic
exercise increases activation in the frontal lobe and improves executive function (Colcombe & Kramer, 2003; Colcombe et al., 2004). Future studies should examine whether aerobic exercise positively affects executive function and coping in
stroke survivors.

Langue : ANGLAIS