The consequences of severe aphasia on the spouses of aphasic people: A description of the adaptation process

Abstract

Background : Aphasia changes the links an individual has with his/her social milieu. However, information about these changes is sparse as most research on aphasia has been centred on understanding this language disorder and testing treatment methods. Moreover, information about the psycho-social consequences of severe aphasia is even rarer. Aims : To determine the consequences of severe aphasia as experienced by spouses of persons with aphasia. Methods & Procedures : A qualitative phenomenological approach was adopted. Spouses of five persons with relatively longstanding severe aphasia were interviewed with a semi-structured qualitative schedule. The analysis was guided by the data and by a model of the adaptation process. Outcomes & Results : Spouses' perceived sources of stress related to various changes in lifestyle habits more or less explicitly related to the aphasic person's communication impairment. These consequences were experienced in the realms of communication, interpersonal relationships, responsibilities, leisure activities, and finances. Spouses employed coping strategies. These strategies were directly based on the problems they encountered or on the control of the significance of these problems. Spouses experienced various indicators of adaptation such as fatigue, anxiety, discouragement, loss of privacy, social isolation and burden. These consequences, coping strategies, and indications of adaptation were functions of the contextual stimuli of these couples. Conclusions : These results serve to describe how spouses experience lifestyle changes associated to the aphasia in their partner. Speech-language therapy could contribute to minimise the impact of aphasia on both spouses and aphasic people by considering how spouses adapt to aphasia.