Stroke: morale, family functioning, health status, and functional capacity.

Twenty-two stroke patients and their spouses were studied. All patients were living at home and had had a stroke at least one year previously. Of the 22 patients 14 were men and eight were women. Couples were assessed on the variables of morale, family functioning, health status, and patient functional capacity. For all variables, patient-spouse and husband-wife differences were tested. Couples from a previously studied random community sample were matched to the stroke couples on age and socioeconomic status (SES). Identical morale, family functioning, and health status data collected on these couples were compared to the stroke data. The results included the following: Stroke patients and their spouses were healthy on all variables. Members of the couple did not differ on most variables whether compared as husband-wife or patient-spouse. Wives from the two samples did not differ on any variable. Husbands from the stroke sample differed from the matched husbands on only one health variable--the number of doctor visits made in the past six months.