Self Motivation: does it Influence Performance of Motor Function in Post Stroke Individuals?

Objective

Recovery of motor function after stroke could be influenced by biological, environmental and psychological factors. This ex-post-facto research assessed the association between self-motivation and motor function among chronic stroke survivors. Association between selfmotivation and each of age, gender, stroke laterality and time since onset of stroke was also investigated.

Methods

Thirty (20 males and 10 females) individuals who have suffered a first-ever stroke (mean age 59.30 ± 13.81years), 22 of whom had right hemiplegia, were consecutively recruited from among stroke survivors receiving physiotherapy on out-patient basis at a tertiary health facility in Nigeria. Stroke laterality, age, gender and time since onset of stroke were documented. Self-motivation and motor function were assessed using Self-Motivation Inventory (SMI) and Modified Motor Assessment Scale (MMAS) respectively. Data were analysed using Spearman rank order correlation and Mann-Whitney U statistics at 0.05 alpha.

Results

Association between motor function and self motivation (rho= 0.14; p = 0.45) was not statistically significant. Similar trend was observed between self motivation and each of age (rho= -0.21; p=0.26); time since onset of stroke (rho = 0.16; p = 0.33). There was a negative but non-significant association between age and motor function (rho = -0.26; p =0.44). Both SMI and MMAS scores were not significantly different between males and females; as well as between right and left hemiplegic patients.

Conclusion

Self-motivation did not influence motor function performance. Similarly age, stroke laterality, gender and time since onset of stroke are not associated with self motivation of stroke survivors. These findings imply that self motivation may not be influencing motor performance after stroke.