Socio-demographic and Clinical Correlates of Community Reintegration of Stroke Survivors in Nigeria

Background: Low level of community reintegration among stroke survivors is a major obstacle to rehabilitation services post discharge from acute care. Few studies have assessed the impact of community reintegration on stroke survivors in Nigeria. This study investigates community reintegration and associated factors among stroke survivors in Maiduguri, Nigeria. Methodology: Purposive sampling technique was used to recruit 55 stroke survivors attending rehabilitation services from two public hospitals in Maiduguri. Community reintegration was assessed with the Reintegration to Normal Living Index (RNLI) questionnaire, while information on sociodemographics (e.g., age group, gender, employment status, educational status) and clinical characteristics (e.g., post stroke duration, types of stroke, side of affectation) was obtained using the data form. Logistic regression analyses with odd ratios were used to test the associations between community reintegration and sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Results: The mean age and post stroke duration of the participants were 44.69±13.06 years and 17.25±24.90 months respectively. The participants’ community reintegration scores showed that 60%, 38.2% and 1.8% have no integration, mild to moderate reintegration and complete reintegration respectively. The results indicated that stroke survivors with a stroke duration greater than 8 months (OR=3.32, C.I=1.08-10.27) and those with haemorrhagic stroke (OR=4.67, C.I=1.05-20.66) were more likely to be reintegrated into the community than their counterparts with 6-8 months post stroke duration and ischaemic stroke, respectively. There was significant association between community reintegration and sociodemographic characteristics such as post stroke duration and type of stroke. Conclusions: Rehabilitation strategies should focus on clinical characteristics of the stroke survivors when planning and delivering effective community reintegration interventions.