The role of activity restriction in poststroke depressive symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the determinants of poststroke depression. The Activity Restriction Model of Depressed Affect (ARMDA) may be helpful in understanding poststroke depression but has never been tested in that context. The goal of this study was to examine the relation between activity restriction and depressive symptoms in stroke survivors during the period following discharge from the hospital. METHOD: Participants (N = 197) were assessed on three occasions: (1) time 1 (T1), 3 weeks following discharge; (2) time 2 (T2), 3 months after discharge; and (3) time 3 (T3), 6 months after discharge. RESULTS: Although both stroke severity and activity restriction were significantly related to depressive symptoms, the relation between stroke severity and depression was no longer significant after controlling for activity restriction. Moreover, restrictions in daily activities and social roles were both related to depressive symptoms, but these relations were found to vary during the course of the period following discharge. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the ARMDA and have practical implications for the prevention of poststroke depression.