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Open to UK applicants only. 

Supervisors:

• Dr Navneet Aujla (School of Psychology and Vision Sciences) na434@leicester.ac.uk 
• Professor John Maltby (School of Healthcare) jm148@leicester.ac.uk

Additional supervisors:

• Dr Jatinder Minhas (Department of Cardiovascular Sciences) 
• Professor Laura Gray (Department of Population Health Sciences)

Project: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder after a stroke: Influences and experiences amongst stroke survivors

Aim: This PhD offers an exciting opportunity to work on a clinically relevant research project aiming to advance the understanding of how stroke survivors perceive, interpret, and navigate the complexities of daily life after a stroke, with a particular focus on unique personal perceptions and characteristics, and associations with post-traumatic stress symptoms.

Objectives: The objectives are to:

1. Produce a comprehensive systematic review of existing literature on the experience of post-traumatic stress symptoms in serious and life-threatening chronic illnesses, synthesising associations and themes relevant to stroke survivors.
2. Qualitatively explore the lived experience of stroke survivors to understand how post-traumatic stress symptoms impact perceptions and management of stroke and individuals’ mental health, relationships, and recovery following a stroke.
3. Examine interacting factors and patterns that contribute to the development and maintenance of post-traumatic stress symptoms in stroke survivors, using quantitative survey methods.

Background: Stroke is a highly prevalent condition affecting a growing number of people each year, and leading to a complex range of difficulties, including cognitive, communication, physical, and psychological impairments that can significantly alter the lives of stroke patients and their families (1).

Although Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is common amongst stroke survivors (2), there is limited understanding of the experience and impact of stroke-related trauma on patients’ lives and relationships, and of the modifiable psychological factors that may contribute to the onset and persistence of PTSD in this population. 

As trauma can affect people in different ways, examining how individual characteristics shape these experiences could help identify stroke survivors who may be most vulnerable to developing PTSD and who could find it harder to manage the different aspects of daily life after a stroke (3). This could help inform novel and more personalised approaches to supporting patients through their post-stroke recovery.

Methods: This PhD comprises three complementary and interrelated research studies, using mixed approaches:

Study 1: Given limited existing evidence on stroke, the first study will involve a systematic review and synthesis of quantitative and qualitative research from the wider literature on chronic illness to identify patterns relevant to stroke survivors. Studies will be identified through systematic database searches and analysed using established methods (e.g., meta-analysis, and narrative or thematic synthesis). 

Study 2: The second study will be an in-depth qualitative exploration involving individual interviews with stroke survivors, using a semi-structured approach, with data analysed using thematic analysis. 

Study 3: Finally, there will be a quantitative analysis of questionnaire data gathered from a cohort of stroke survivors recruited in hospital and the community across multiple sites and timepoints. Statistical techniques, such as structural equation modelling, will be used to analyse the data.

Patient and public involvement: Stroke survivors and carers will provide input as public contributors throughout the research, to ensure that it is relevant to their lived experience and addresses their needs and priorities for mental health service improvement after a stroke.

Context and expected outcomes: This PhD is embedded within the existing infrastructure and partnerships of a wider research project focused on PTSD in stroke survivors, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

The PhD will make an important contribution to research in this area by addressing key gaps in the evidence and informing the development of theories and interventions to help stroke survivors manage the challenges of daily life and recovery in the aftermath of a stroke.