Interactions between recovery in aphasia, emotional and psychosocial factors in subjects with aphasia, their significant others and speech pathologists.

Abstract

Associations between clinical and functional aphasia recovery and perceptions of emotional and psychosocial adjustment accompanying aphasia were examined in five subjects at 3 and 9 months post-onset of stroke using a range of objective and subjective measures. The subjective well-being and optimism of significant others of aphasic patients was also examined, and speech pathologists completed measures of optimism. Unique patterns of individual emotional and psychosocial adjustment were found over time in patients and their significant others, even in patients with similar aphasia type and severity. Individual variability in emotional and psychosocial adjustment and their impact on recovery from aphasia are discussed.