Abstract Body: Background:Resilience is gaining traction in management of chronic disease. The chronic stroke population are less resilient than the general population with an inverse relationship of resilience to psychological conditions. As research is emerging, a gap exists in interventional strategies to foster resilience in stroke survivors. One effective approach proposed through is an adaptive mindfulness-based intervention.
Purpose:What are stroke survivors' experiences of resilience and quality of life in chronic stroke and does this change after participation in the Mindfulness based Recovery from Stroke program?
Methods: A convergent multistage mixed methods pilot study design was conducted of two cycles of eight purposively chosen ischemic stroke participants. An 8-week adapted Mindfulness Based Intervention was developed and led by a stroke survivor to assess feasibility, resilience, and quality of life. A mix of data was conducted by focus groups, Stroke Specific Quality of Life and the Brief Resilience Scale. A case study of extreme resilience of one participant with his caregiver was conducted by four separate interviews.
Results: Three primary initial themes from the pilot study were determined as 1) Barriers to Resilience, 2) Facilitators through Mindfulness-Based Recovery from Stroke, and 3) Experienced Related Outcomes. Extreme resilience was described in the case study 1) Antecedents to Post Stroke Resilience, 2) The Obstacle is the Way, and 3) Embodied mindfulness that permitted insight into behavior, to drop the notion of getting back to the pre-stroke state and moving beyond. The selective code working toward a grounded theory is *Sand Mandala, the essence of resilience, growth, and thriving after stroke. Final grounded theory analysis with survey results will be made available by the end of 2024.
Conclusions: The program was valued and recommended as an integral part of stroke recovery specifically related to the supportive community, the trustworthy nature of the facilitators and the adaptive content. Unanimously, the participants felt this program fulfilled an unmet need in traditional stroke rehabilitation. An example of extreme resilience in the sub study provides further dimensions to the conceptualization of resilience and qualities that are beneficial in supporting recovering. Tailoring interventions to build resilience should continue in an engaging manner to adapt to the diverse and unmet needs of stroke survivors..