To explore the level and associated factors of perceived participation and autonomy among stroke survivors in Shanghai, China.

Cross‐sectional explorative study.

From January to December 2018, 431 patients presenting at the neurology departments of three hospitals with a confirmed diagnosis of stroke were recruited. Impact on Participation and Autonomy Questionnaire, modified Rankin Scale, Self‐efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease six‐item Scale, Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were applied to measure their participation, physical function, self‐efficacy, coping styles, and social support.

The average score of perceived participation and autonomy was 41.30 (SD 21.22); and 54.3%, 46.9%, 21.6%, and 7.7% of the participants reported poor participation in social relations, family role, autonomy indoors, and autonomy outdoors. Age, physical function, self‐efficacy, friend support, and knowledge of stroke were predictors of post‐stroke participation. Physical function and self‐efficacy were the most relevant factors of nearly all domains of participation except autonomy outdoors, while predictors of autonomy outdoors were social support, resignation coping style, and knowledge of stroke.

The stroke patients experienced insufficient participation compared with previous studies in western countries. Patients' physical function and self‐efficacy were particularly important and contributed to their participation, while the patient's age, perceived social support, coping styles, and knowledge of stroke also played a role in formulating participation.

The results may be used to provide nurses with a better understanding of the participation among stroke patients and assist them in promoting the post‐stroke participation. Nurses should pay special attention to those with older age, worse physical function, lower self‐efficacy, less support, little stroke‐related knowledge, or who applied resignation coping style since those patients might experience lower participation in their daily life. It needs further studies to explore the causal effects of self‐efficacy, coping styles, and social support on post‐stroke participation.