Background: The Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life-39 (SAQOL-39) is a valid and reliable measure of quality of life (QOL) for stroke survivors and people with mild-to-moderate aphasia However, it could not be validated for people with severe aphasia due to their language deficits. Research has shown that combining pictures with written text can support communication effectiveness of people with aphasia. Combining language modalities in this way is a form of alternative or augmentative communication (AAC). The use of AAC has been explored as a possibility to improve communication for people with severe aphasia (Dietz, McKelvey & Beukelman, 2006).
Aim: This study sought to examine whether photographic representations of the SAQOL-39 would improve self-reported ratings when completed by people with moderate to severe aphasia.
Methods: This study was a prospective, within group design. Four adults with moderate to severe aphasia self-reported their QOL rating through the SAQOL-39. All participants completed the SAQOL-39 in two conditions: written text only, and written-text paired with photographic representations. A 5-point rating scale, derived from the SAQOL-39, was displayed onscreen for participant rating of the degree to which they believed specific aspects of QOL had been impacted by their aphasia. Levels of instruction required to elicit a response were recorded for every item to conclude whether the photographs reduced the amount of researcher cueing required for each item. The mean response time for each item was also recorded.
Results: The method of data analysis was changed secondary to recruitment of only four participants. Results of the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test (a = .05) showed that the text plus photograph condition compared to the text only condition did not result in QOL rating changes [(Mdn = 0), Z = -.66, p = .551]. Likewise, the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test (a = .05) showed that the text plus photograph condition compared to the text only condition did not result in faster rating response time [(Mdn = 0), Z = -.94, p = .348]. Descriptively, comparison of changes in level of instruction between the two conditions showed no differences either.
Discussion: Further research is encouraged to discover an approach for allowing people with severe receptive aphasia to self-report on their QOL. Replication of this study with a larger sample size is essential to further investigate the effect of using photographic representations of the SAQOL-39 to improve ratings with people with severe receptive aphasia.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LSU/oai:etd.lsu.edu:etd-04122015-225258 |
| Date | 27 April 2015 |
| Creators | Studrawa, Samantha |
| Contributors | Hoffman, Paul, Donovan, Neila, Norris, Janet |
| Publisher | LSU |
| Source Sets | Louisiana State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-04122015-225258/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached herein a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to LSU or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below and in appropriate University policies, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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