Association Between Daily Activities Following Stroke Rehabilitation and Social Role Functioning Upon Return to the Community

Purpose: To examine the association between independence in daily activities at discharge from rehabilitation and the degree of resumption of social roles 6 months later in older adults with stroke. Method: A total of 111 adults participated (mean age 77 years). Daily activities were measured using portions of the Functional Measurement of Autonomy System (SMAF). Social roles, measured using the social roles section of the Assessment of Life Habits (LIFE-H), included responsibilities, interpersonal relationships, community life, and leisure domains. Regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association between daily activities and social roles in conjunction with several capability variables. Results: Independence in daily activities increased the variances of the total scores for the responsibilities and community life models social role domains by 7% to 8%. The total explained variances ranged from 47% to 52% with corresponding beta values for daily activities ranging from -0.37 to -0.41. The lack of association between independence in daily activities and both leisure and interpersonal relationships was striking. The lowest scores were in the leisure domain. Conclusion: The association between daily activities at discharge and social roles 6 months following rehabilitation varies depending on the social role domain. Leisure may not be sufficiently addressed during rehabilitation warranting a "second wave" of rehabilitation upon return to the community.