Influence of psychologic features on rehabilitation outcomes in patients with subacute stroke trained with robotic-aided walking therapy.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether the rehabilitation outcomes with robotic-aided gait therapy may be affected by patients' and caregivers' psychologic features after subacute stroke.
DESIGN: This is a controlled, longitudinal, observational pilot study conducted on 42 patients divided in robotic-assisted gait training plus conventional physical therapy group, robotic-assisted gait training dropout group, and conventional physical therapy group. The outcome measures were walking ability (Functional Ambulation Category) and independency in activities of daily living (Barthel Index) measured before and after intervention. Psychologic features were measured before intervention using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and recovery locus of control in the patients and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory in the caregivers.
RESULTS: Patient anxiety was significantly higher in those who refused/abandoned robotic therapy (P = 0.002). In the subjects allocated to the robotic group, the recovery of walking ability was significantly affected by the perceived recovery locus of control (P = 0.039, odds ratio = 14); and the recovery of independency in activities of daily living, by anxiety (P = 0.018, odds ratio = 0.042). Conversely, psychologic factors did not significantly affect the outcomes of conventional rehabilitation.
CONCLUSIONS: Psychologic features, particularly recovery locus of control and anxiety, affected the rehabilitative outcomes of the patients involved in robotic treatment more than those in conventional rehabilitation.