Objective: To explore effects of nursing intervention under guidance of information-knowledge-behavior (IKB) theory on psychological status and quality of life in elderly patients with cerebral infarction. Methods: A total of 80 elderly patients with cerebral infarction who were admitted to the hospital from January 2018 to November 2019 were enrolled as study objects. They were randomly divided into observation group and control group, 40 cases in each group. The control group was given routine nursing intervention, while observation group was given nursing intervention under guidance of IKB theory on basis of control group. The nursing compliance rate after intervention, scores of Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and quality of life before and after intervention, and incidence of complications during intervention were compared between the two groups. Results: After intervention, scores of HAMA and HAMD in observation group were significantly lower than those in control group (P<0.05), while nursing compliance rate was significantly higher than that in control group (P<0.05). The incidence of complications during intervention in observation group was significantly lower than that in control group (P<0.05). The scores of physical function, psychological function, social function and material life status in observation group were significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Application of nursing intervention under guidance of IKB theory in elderly patients with cerebral infarction can significantly improve their psychological status, increase nursing compliance rate, decrease incidence of complications, and improve their quality of life.