Aphasia and friendship: Stroke survivors' self-reported changes over time.

Autor: Madden EB; School of Communication Science and Disorders, Florida State University, United States. Electronic address: ebmadden@fsu.edu., Bislick L; School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Central Florida, United States., Wallace SE; Department of Communication Science and Disorders, University of Pittsburgh, United States., Therrien MCS; School of Communication Science and Disorders, Florida State University, United States., Goff-Albritton R; Office of Research Development, Florida State University, United States.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of communication disorders [J Commun Disord] 2023 May-Jun; Vol. 103, pp. 106330. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Apr 26.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2023.106330
Abstrakt: Introduction: Friendships are an important contributor to quality of life. Due to communication and other stroke-related challenges, people with aphasia (PWA) can experience negative friendship changes, which have been linked with increased physiological distress. This study examined friendship experiences over time for PWA to understand how friendships evolve throughout the course of stroke and aphasia recovery.
Methods: Fifteen stroke survivors with chronic aphasia completed language testing and a friendship questionnaire created by the researchers. The friendship questionnaire was composed of open and closed-ended questions that asked PWA to reflect back on their friendship satisfaction, support, activities, and communication during the time before aphasia and during the acute stage of recovery. The questionnaire also addressed their current friendships in the present-day chronic stage of recovery, as well as questions about an ideal friendship. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to examine the data, with quantitative findings reported in this study.
Results: The majority of PWA reported maintaining some friendships and developing new friendships, often with a fellow stroke survivor with aphasia; however, a few PWA in this study were not able to maintain or develop any new friendships. Average ratings of perceived friendship satisfaction and support improved from the acute to chronic stage, nearing those of the ratings pre-stroke, yet there was greater variability in the chronic stage with some currently feeling dissatisfied and not well supported. Aphasia severity, as measured by a standardized assessment, had a negative relationship with perceived friendship support. In contrast, perception of communicative participation had a positive relationship with friendship support.
Conclusions: This work highlights lasting social implications of aphasia. The overall health of PWA deserves greater attention, including interventions targeting friendship maintenance and development. Continued stakeholder-engaged research and clinical practice focused on the social and emotional consequences of aphasia on PWA, as well as their friends and family, is needed to assist all involved in aphasia recovery achieve better friendships and well-being.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest We have no known conflicts of interest to disclose.
(Published by Elsevier Inc.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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