Quality of Communication Life (QoCL) In Persons with Expressive Aphasia With And Without Communication Intervention - A Comparative Study.

BACKGROUND

Communication difficulties in aphasia can result in social isolation, challenges with interpersonal relationships, emotional changes, inability to return to work, and lack of independence. Therefore, intervention is essential particularly in the context of functional communication for persons with aphasia (PwAs). Studies have also indicated that quality of communication life (QoCL) is a valid measure of the impact of communication difficulty on quality of life.

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the relationship between communication intervention and QoCL in individuals with expressive aphasia.

METHODS AND MATERIAL: Twenty PwAs were divided into two groups: group I individuals had undergone at least 3 months of speech and language intervention whereas group II individuals did not have any formal communication intervention. Tamil version of the QoCL scale was administered for all participants. Statistical analysis was carried out using Mann-Whitney U test and Spearman's rho correlation coefficient.

RESULTS

Individuals with speech and language intervention in group I had higher scores in overall QoCL domains as well as in overall QoL when compared to group II. The results of correlation analysis indicated that individuals with greater therapy duration had significantly high scores.

CONCLUSIONS

The results prove that communication intervention is necessary for PwAs to improve QoCL and can be used to raise awareness of its importance. The findings can also guide treatment planning, counseling the PwA, and caregivers. It also indicates the importance of using patient-related outcome measures during the intervention process.