Uncertainty in Illness and Posttraumatic Growth among Young and Middle-Aged Stroke Patients: A Mediation Model of Coping Styles and Rumination.

BackgroundStroke keeps on the rise in young and middle-aged individuals. This group may experience positive psychological changes, such as posttraumatic growth (PTG), which facilitates recovery. However, PTG in young and middle-aged stroke patients is not yet fully understood in China. This study aims to examine the associations between uncertainty in illness and PTG among young and middle-aged patients with stroke, and to explore whether coping styles and rumination are associated with this relationship.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2022 to February 2023 in a tertiary hospital in Guangzhou, China, enrolling 204 stroke patients aged 18 to 59 years. Sociodemographic and clinical data were obtained via interviews and medical records. Data on PTG, uncertainty in illness, coping styles, and rumination were collected via the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale for Adults (MUIS-A), Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ), and Event-Related Rumination Inventory (ERRI). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and path analysis in SPSS 26.0 and Mplus 8.3.ResultsTotally 204 participants were included. The mean score for PTG was $52.27 ± 12.06. Uncertainty in illness was negatively correlated with PTG (β= -0.61, p < 0.01). Path analysis revealed that positive coping styles (β= -0.21, p < 0.001) and deliberate rumination (p = -0.12, p = 0.002) were significantly associated with the relationship between uncertainty in illness and PTG. These variables accounted for 44.7% and 25.9% of the total effect, respectively.ConclusionUncertainty in illness is significantly associated with PTG among young and middle-aged stroke patients, such association was mediated by positive coping styles and deliberate rumination.