Dyadic IPA of the lived experience of post-stroke emotionalism
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The lived experience of people with post-stroke emotionalism and those closest to them: a dyadic phenomenological analysis
IRAS ID
351577
Contact name
Christopher Hardy
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 29 days
Research summary
Post-stroke emotionalism (PSE) is a common but often unaddressed symptom experienced after stroke. PSE is characterised by spontaneous, frequent and uncontrollable episodes of crying or less commonly laughter. This emotional expression appears “disproportionate” to the intensity of the felt emotion. PSE can cause significant distress due to embarrassment or frustration, which can affect mood and anxiety. This is referred to as “secondary psychological distress”, which can be detrimental to social, psychological and physical rehabilitation.
PSE is under-researched, but existing studies have been helpful in understanding how post-stroke emotionalism might lead to increased vulnerability to secondary psychological distress. One limitation of these studies is that they have been driven by pre-existing theory of post-stroke emotionalism. This allows them to answer more specific questions but it is possible that there are some aspects of the lived experience of PSE that we do not know about because they lie outwith these predefined theoretical expectations. Current qualitative studies have also identified that the responses of people around the person with PSE can affect secondary psychological distress. However, no study has yet directly explored how the people around a person with PSE understand emotionalism, and how this might in turn influence the person with PSE’s own understanding and distress.
This study aims to interview people with PSE and their partner who lives with them (a dyadic relationship). Both members of a dyad will be invited to participate and will be recruited through NHS Lothian and Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS).
Interviews will be analysed by interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), a method which emphasizes the experience of participants and how they make sense of those experiences. It is hoped that this will help to develop psychosocial interventions that will be helpful to the person with PSE and their partner.
REC name
Wales REC 6
REC reference
25/WA/0118
Date of REC Opinion
23 May 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion