Life satisfaction and aphasia: an integrative review with recommendations for future research

ABSTRACT

Background: Recent legislation in the United States has called for greater use of patient-reported outcomes to assess treatment effectiveness. Life satisfaction is a patient-reported outcome that is only recently receiving attention in the aphasia literature. Understanding life satisfaction among persons with aphasia (PWA) is critical to developing strategies that will assist these individuals in managing their lives after experiencing aphasia.

Aims: The aim of this paper is to review life satisfaction among PWA for the purpose of stimulating further discussion and research.

Main Contribution: We identified five studies with mixed results relating to life satisfaction after aphasia. Understanding life satisfaction among PWA is important as it reflects the individual’s response to this life changing communication disorder. However, the influence of a range of issues remains unclear with regard to life satisfaction and aphasia, including (a) the contributions of the individual’s clinical and sociodemographic characteristics, (b) the effects of time and (c) the methods used for measuring life satisfaction after aphasia. This review explores the complex factors associated with life satisfaction after aphasia.

Conclusions: Studies of life satisfaction among PWA are lacking. Much needs to be learned about the range of factors associated with life satisfaction after aphasia. Understanding these issues is key to facilitating optimal post-aphasia outcomes from the perspective of the patient.

KEYWORDS:

• Aphasia
• life satisfaction

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.