Self-Management Behaviors and Key Determinants Among Young and Middle-Aged Adults with Ischemic Stroke: A Cross-Sectional Study.

AIM: To examine self-management behaviors and their key Determinants among young and middle-aged adults with ischemic stroke. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of 247 patients aged 18-59 years with ischemic stroke was recruited from a tertiary hospital in China between July 2023 and February 2025. Data were collected using a sociodemographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire, the Self-management Behavior Scale for Stroke, and the Barthel Index. Descriptive statistics and multivariable linear regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: The mean self-management score was 85.05 (SD = 16.61), indicating a moderate level of self-management. Resource utilization was the lowest-scoring dimension. Gender, educational level, activities of daily living, exercise habits and smoking status were identified as significant independent factors associated with self-management behaviors (adjusted R2 = 0.340). CONCLUSION: Self-management behaviors among young and middle-aged adults with ischemic stroke were suboptimal, particularly with regard to the utilization of health resources. Sociodemographic and lifestyle factors play an important role in shaping self-management capacity in this population. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Routine assessment of self-management capacity could be considered for integration into post-stroke nursing care for working-age adults. Nursing interventions that are gender-responsive and adapted to health literacy levels should be further explored. Although not directly evaluated in this study, nurse-led digital and peer-support strategies may serve as potential avenues to support self-management and secondary stroke prevention.