Impact of post‐stroke aphasia on functional communication, quality of life, perception of health and depression: A case–control study

• Published in: European journal of neurology Vol. 31; no. 4; pp. e16184 - n/a
• Main Authors: Bueno‐Guerra, Nereida, Provencio, Marta, Tarifa‐Rodríguez, Aida, Navarro, Ana, Sempere‐Iborra, Cristian, Jordi, Pablo, Celis‐Ruiz, Elena, Alonso de Leciñana, María, Martín‐Alonso, Marta, Rigual, Ricardo, Ruiz‐Ares, Gerardo, Rodríguez‐Pardo, Jorge, Virués‐Ortega, Javier, Fuentes, Blanca
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-04-2024
• Subjects: Aphasia; Case studies; Communication; depression; Mental depression; Perception; Quality of life; Questionnaires; Stroke; aphasia; depression; communication; quality of life; stroke
• ISSN: 1351-5101; 1468-1331; 1468-1331
• DOI: 10.1111/ene.16184

Background and purpose
Post‐stroke aphasia is associated with a reduced quality of life (QoL) and higher risk of depression. Few studies have addressed the effect of coping with aphasia. Our aim is to evaluate the impact of post‐stroke aphasia on self‐reported QoL and symptoms of depression.
Methods
This was a cross‐sectional prospective case–control study. Cases involved patients with post‐stroke aphasia included in the DULCINEA trial (NCT04289493). Healthy controls were recruited using snowball sampling. All subjects completed the following questionnaires: General Health Questionnaire (GHQ‐12), Stroke Aphasia Quality of Life Scale (SAQOL‐39), Communicative Activity Log (CAL) and Stroke Aphasic Depression Questionnaire (SADQ‐10).
Results
Twenty‐three patients (eight women; mean age 62.9 years) and 73 controls (42 women; mean age 53.7 years) were included. Cases scored lower than controls in perception of health (GHQ‐12: median 3 [IQR 1; 6] vs. 0 [IQR 0; 2]) and perception of QoL (SAQOL‐39: median 3.6 [IQR 3.3; 40] vs. 4.6 [IQR 4.2; 4.8]). Functional communication (CAL: median 135 [IQR 122; 148] vs. 94 [IQR 74; 103]) and SAQOL‐39 communication subscale (median 2.7 [IQR 2.1; 3.2] vs. 4.8 [IQR 4.6; 5.0]) were also significantly lower in the case group. Notably, cases reported fewer depressive symptoms than controls (SADQ‐10: median 11 [IQR 9; 15] vs. 13 [IQR 11; 16]; p = 0.016). A mediational analysis revealed that the relationship between post‐stroke aphasia and depression was not mediated by functional communication.
Conclusions
Although communication difficulties impact the QoL of patients with post‐stroke aphasia, such patients report fewer depressive symptoms on the SADQ‐10 scale than healthy people, with no differences in scores related to social participation.