Transactional Success in the Texting of Individuals With Aphasia

Abstract

Purpose: Text messaging is a pervasive form of communication in today's digital society. Our prior research indicates that individuals with aphasia text, but they vary widely in how actively they engage in texting, the types of messages they send, and the number of contacts with whom they text. It is reported that people with aphasia experience difficulties with texting; however, the degree to which they are successful in conveying information via text message is unknown. This study describes the development of a rating scale that measures transactional success via texting and reports on the transactional success of a sample of 20 individuals with chronic aphasia. The relationships between texting transactional success and aphasia severity, texting confidence, and texting activity are explored. Method: Performance on a texting script was evaluated using a three-category rating in which turns elicited from participants with aphasia received a score of 0 ( no transaction of message ), 1 ( partial transaction ), or 2 ( successful transaction ). Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Interrater reliability was determined using intraclass correlation coefficient and Krippendorff's alpha. Results: Although preliminary, results suggest adequate internal consistency and strong interrater reliability. Texting transactional success on the script response items was significantly correlated with overall aphasia severity and severity of reading and writing deficits, but there was no relationship between transactional success and texting confidence or overall texting activity. Conclusions: This study describes initial efforts to develop a rating scale of texting transactional success and to evaluate the validity of scores derived from this measure. Information from a texting transactional success measure could inform treatment that aims to improve electronic messaging in people with aphasia.

Written discourse in diagnosis for acquired neurogenic communication disorders: current evidence and future directions

“…Now that text messaging is a common communication modality and can increase communication opportunities in those with acquired neurogenic communication disorders, it may be necessary to assess texting behaviors to capture the full range and multifaceted nature of functional communication abilities in assessment. This work is only beginning to appear in the literature and will be important for the future of writing research ( Kinsey et al, 2022 ; Lee and Cherney, 2022 ).…”