The Social Integration of Individuals with Aphasia

Abstract

This article describes the social networks of four individuals with aphasia and their perception of their social interactions and social integration within their network. Four male participants, who were aphasic as a result of a single left hemisphere stroke, were interviewed with their sigruficant other. The age of the participants ranged from 29 to 65 years and they were between 9 and 25 months poststroke. The Interview Schedule of Social Interaction (ISSI) (Henderson, Byrne, & Duncan-Jones, 1981) was used to measure the perception of social support. Several aphasia-related variables and contextual factors were assessed for their impact on the maintenance of social networks using a standardised language assessment and a range of questionnaires.A descriptive analysis of results revealed that social support networks were altered following the onset of aphasia, with extended network relationships being most affected. Several factors were identified that potentially shaped the networks of the four participants. These factors fell into two broad categories: aphasia-related and contextual factors. Aphasia-related factors included severity of aphasia, time post onset, and inherent disease characteristics. Contextual factors included degree of distress exhibited by the recipient, age at onset, life cycle stage, quality and type of relationship, social network characteristics, and family constellation. Finally, limitations of the study and directions for future research are discussed.In recent years, the societal participation of people with disability has become a public goal of health policy (World Health Organisation, 1998). According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) model of

Social participation following right hemisphere stroke: influence of a cognitive-communication disorder

“…where the severity has been shown to be directly related to the extent of social participation restriction (Code, 2003;Barry & Douglas, 2000;Dalemans et al, 2010;Hilari et al, 2010;Howe, Worrall, & Hickson, 2008). Social participation outcomes for people with dysarthria have been reported in a study by Brady and colleages (2011).…”

The Things that Help, the Things that Get in the Way: Working Together to Improve Outcome Following Acquired Brain Injury

“…Close relationships make an important contribution to wellbeing and the maintenance of a positive sense of self-worth for us all (Delle Fave, Brdar, Wissing, & Vella-Brodrick, 2013;O'Connor & Chamberlain, 2000). Challenges in the domain of relationships and friendships can be common and enduring problems for many people with stroke (Barry & Douglas, 2000;Ford, Douglas & O'Halloran, 2018;Lefebvre, Cloutier, & Levert, 2008;Pound, Gompertz, & Ebrahim, 1998), degenerative disorders (Clare et al, 2012;Pozzebon, Douglas, & Ames, 2016;2018) and TBI (Dikman, Machamer, Powell, & Temkin, 2003;Douglas, Drummond, Knox, & Mealings, 2015;Draper, Ponsford, & Schönberger, 2007;Jourdan et al, 2016;Tate, Broe, Cameron, Hodgkinson, & Soo, 2005). As shown by Rachel's comment at the beginning of this section, many adults with ABI feel lonely and lack close friends with whom they can talk about their everyday lives and share the ups and downs they experience.…”

Loss of friendship following traumatic brain injury: A model grounded in the experience of adults with severe injury

“…Lack of social relationships and challenges within existing relationships are common and enduring experiences for many people who acquire neurological disorders during adulthood. Social relational outcomes have been explored for survivors of stroke (Northcott & Hilari, 2011;Northcott, Marshall, & Hilari, 2016;Northcott, Moss, Harrison, & Hilari, 2016;Pound, Gompertz, & Ebrahim, 1998;Sarre et al, 2014), including those with aphasia (Barry & Douglas, 2000;Brown, Davidson, Worrall, & Howe, 2013;Davidson, Howe, Worrall, Hickson, & Togher, 2008;Ford, Douglas, & O'Halloran, 2018;Fotiadou, Northcott, Chatzidaki, & Hilari, 2014), people diagnosed with dementia (Clare et al, 2012;Pozzebon, Douglas, & Ames, 2016; and survivors of traumatic brain injury (TBI) (Dikman, Machamer, Powell, & Temkin, 2003;Douglas & Spellacy, 2000;Douglas, Drummond, Knox, & Mealings, 2015;Draper, Ponsford, & Schönberger, 2007;Jourdan et al, 2016;Lefebvre, Cloutier, & Levert, 2008;Tate, Broe, Cameron, Hodgkinson, & Soo, 2005;Tate, Lulham, Broe, Strettles, & Pfaff, 1989). This body of research provides both quantitative and qualitative evidence of the negative impact that these acquired neurological disorders can have within the domain of relationships, including friendships and intimate partnerships.…”