Exploration of stress management interventions to address psychological stress in stroke survivors: a protocol for a scoping review

INTRODUCTION: Several studies have shown that stroke survivors report experiencing high and unremitting levels of stress, which can negatively affect brain repair processes and psychological outcomes and thereby compromise recovery. However, it is presently unclear which interventions have been trialled to manage stress in stroke survivors and whether they translate to clinically relevant outcomes. The aim of this scoping review will be to examine stress management interventions in stroke survivors in order to map the types of interventions trialled, commonly reported stress outcome measures and whether a reduction in stress contributes to reductions in relevant clinical outcomes. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The methodological framework described in Arksey and O’Malley will be applied to this review. A draft search strategy was developed in collaboration with an experienced senior health research librarian. A systematic search of Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane library, PsycInfo and Clinicaltrials.gov as well as hand searching of reference lists and reviews will identify relevant studies for inclusion. To be eligible for inclusion, studies must report on the outcomes of an intervention targeting stress management and resilience in stroke survivors. Study selection and critical appraisal of selected studies will be carried out independently by two authors, with discrepancies resolved by consensus. Data will be charted using a standard extraction form. Results will be tabulated and narratively summarised to highlight findings relevant to our research questions and to inform recommendations for future research. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study does not require ethics approval. This scoping review will provide a synthesis of evidence for stress management interventions in stroke survivors. It will identify and clarify the gaps in stress research specific to stroke pathologies and highlight promising interventions for future research. Findings will be relevant to researchers and healthcare workers and will be disseminated via publications in peer-reviewed journals and presented at conferences.