Determining Self-efficacy and Quality of Life in Stroke Patients

Objective: Stroke is an important health problem. It causes and impairs their quality of life. Learning the quality of life of the individual and planning treatment are important factors. Self -efficacy is also a concept that has an impact on the quality of life. This study aimed to determine the correlation between self -efficacy and the quality of life in patients. Method: The cross-sectional study was conducted in a neurology outpatient clinic of a public hospital in western Turkey between March and September 2018. The sample of 170 stroke patients. The data collection tools used were: A "socio-demographic characteristics information form", the "stroke -specific quality of life scale (SSQOLS)", and the "chronic disease self -efficacy scale (CDSES)". In pairwise comparisons, the Mann -Whitney U test was used for variables which were not normally distributed. The correlation between was examined using Spearman correlation test. Results: A strong positive correlation was found between SSQOLS and CDSES mean scores of the individuals. In the present study, it was determined that the patients who were male and married had a higher quality of life as well as a higher self -efficacy level. We observed in the present study that a higher selfefficacy level affected quality of life positively. Thus, we have overemphasized that need to be examined together within the scope of disease management of patients. Conclusion: Such assessments make important contributions to determining individuals care needs. Therefore, nurses play an important role in this section. Quality of life and self -efficacy levels need to be considered while planning the care and rehabilitation of patients.