"I wanna just not go, because maybe I'm sad" - views on depression from the perspective of people with aphasia, their care partners, and speech-language pathologists.

Abstract

People with stroke aphasia are often excluded from studies of depression because of their language difficulties. Research on individuals without aphasia suggests that different individuals' experiences with depression can impact their depression management. We conducted a qualitative study to explore experiences with depression as viewed by people with aphasia, their care partners, and speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Separate focus groups included people with aphasia (<i>n</i> = 15), their care partners (<i>n</i> = 13), and SLPs (<i>n</i> = 13). Focus groups were conducted using a semi-structured format to elicit information on depression in people with aphasia. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The researchers generated five themes: (1) the reinforcing cycle of depression and aphasia, (2) depression affects the whole person, (3) symptoms fluctuate, (4) social participation could either protect from or lead to depression depending on the context, and (5) discrepancies on whether people with aphasia shared their feelings related to depression. People with aphasia experience depression as an embodied, fluctuating phenomenon that is linked to their communication abilities and social contexts. Results also suggest that depression screening tools should incorporate non-verbal cues and account for symptom variability, while interventions should target the bidirectional relationship between aphasia and depression.