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

Abstract

AbstractBackground and purposePost‐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.MethodsThis 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).ResultsTwenty‐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.ConclusionsAlthough 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.