Understanding the impact of group therapy on health-related quality of life of people with Aphasia: a scoping review

ABSTRACT

Aphasia is a communication disorder, resulting in difficulty with speaking, understanding, reading, and writing. Aphasia has been linked to decreased social networks, depression, and low health-related quality of life (HRQL). Speech-language pathologists provide therapy through various models for adults with aphasia, including group speech and language therapy. This scoping review aimed to identify, summarize, and appraise peer-reviewed texts that consider HRQL in adults with aphasia who are receiving group speech and language therapy. The research questions that guided the review were: What measures were used to capture HRQL outcomes? Does HRQL change as a result of participation in group language treatment? A systematic literature search developed and implemented by a health sciences librarian identified full-text journal articles via electronic searches of five databases. To be included, studies had to explore adults with aphasia, participating in group language therapy, with a HRQL outcome measure. Relevant studies were assessed for methodological quality and level of evidence. Thirteen articles met inclusion criteria, including two randomized control trials, eight case studies, and three qualitative studies. HRQL measures used and type of intervention varied across studies. HRQL measures showed generally positive outcomes of group language therapy, and participants reported improved HRQL after group language therapy. The current evidence is not comprehensive due to the overall lack of high-quality studies and the low level of evidence available. Further well-designed studies would benefit our understanding of how group therapy may improve HRQL for adults with aphasia.

KEYWORDS:

• Aphasia
• quality of life
• health-related quality of life
• social network
• group therapy
• scoping review
• speech therapy
• language therapy

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to acknowledge Liz Dennett, MLIS for her assistance with the search strategy for this scoping review.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Carlee Wilson

Carlee Wilson is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta. Her current research interests involve learning about the quality of life of people with aphasia and exploring ways to potentially improve the quality of life and mental health of people with aphasia through life-participation.

Allyson Jones

Allyson Jones is a Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta. Her research focuses on the epidemiology and health-related quality of life of older adults with chronic conditions.

Kara Schick-Makaroff

Kara Schick-Makaroff is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta. The goal of Dr. Schick-Makaroff’s programme of research is to promote the use of quality of life assessment, enhance person-centred care, and improve services for people living at home with chronic and life-limiting illnesses. A major focus of her research is to provide evidence relating to the routine clinical use of electronic patient-reported outcomes in multidisciplinary care.

Esther S. Kim

Esther S. Kim is a registered speech-language pathologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta. Her research programme focuses on improving outcomes for people with aphasia and other neurogenic communication disorders through interventions based on life-participation goals.