Abstract
To better identify stroke survivors at risk for depression who may benefit from early prevention through targeted strategies in the acute-subacute poststroke period, we examined 118 Framingham Heart Study stroke survivors with longitudinal prestroke depression assessments. Among those who developed poststroke depression, most lacked a history of depressive symptoms 5 years prior to their stroke. Sex (female), advanced age, and prestroke factors (smoking and functional dependence) were associated with new-onset depression poststroke. These findings suggest fully characterizing and accounting for prestroke factors, including psychosocial and behavioral determinants, may inform the predictive modeling needed to determine whether targeted preventive trials early in stroke recovery will improve stroke outcomes.