Postgraduate Fellow: Mrs Jane Horne
Regaining confidence after stroke is considered one of the top ten research priorities defined by stroke survivors, according to research conducted by the James Lind Alliance (2010). However, defining and measuring confidence and its meaning to people who have lived with the effects of stroke have been largely ignored in previous studies. This study will explore, what ‘confidence’ means to people who have had a stroke, the perceived barriers and what helps stroke survivors to regain confidence.
The researchers will carry out a review of current research relating to confidence and this material will be combined with interview data providing the views of stroke survivors, stroke experts and stroke clinicians. This will form the basis for the development of a questionnaire to assess confidence.
These questionnaires will be tested to see whether it measures what was intended – factors relating to confidence. Further testing of its usefulness and acceptability will be carried out with researchers, clinicians and stroke patients in clinical environments.
It is intended that the measure will identify those people with low confidence and will be used to monitor improvements. It may also be used in studies to evaluate confidence related interventions, such as, measuring the impact of a ‘regaining confidence’ group.