Correlation between cognition and functional independence in male stroke patients

Abstract

Stroke is a chronic disease that causes motor and cognitive sequelae and possible changes in functional capacity. This study aims to identify the levels of functional independence and cognition in male stroke patients and to verify the presence of correlations between them. For that, it was adopted a cross-sectional descriptive-correlational study with a convenience sample comprised by thirty (n=30) men. The Functional Independence Measure and the Mini-Mental State Examination were used for data gathering. For data analysis, the simple descriptive analysis and the Pearson correlation coefficient were adopted. The results showed the predominance of dependent subjects and high level of cognitive impairment as well as positive correlations between cognition and motor independence (r=0.827 p=0.000), cognitive independence (r=0.912 p=0.000), and total (r=0.882 p=0.000). These data demonstrate the impact of cognitive alterations in the functional independence of post-stroke subjects and suggest the need for specific interventions in occupational therapy destined to them.