Quality of life measurement and outcome in aphasia

Figures & data

Table 1 Demographic and clinical features of aphasic patients

Demographic features
Age (years), mean ± SD	68.39±10.29
Education (years), mean ± SD	6.96±4.27
Sex (M/F)	79/67
Marital status, n (%)
– Married	117 (80.2)
– Widowed	17 (11.6)
– Divorced	5 (3.4)
– Single	7 (4.8)
Clinical features
Token test	11.50±9.36
Total FIM	48.52±28.95
Motor FIM	33.76±23.27
Cognitive FIM	14.64±9.39
Onset (months), mean ± SD	399.16±605.46

Abbreviations: SD, standard deviation; FIM, Functional Independence Measure; M, male; F, female.

Table 2 Factor structure of QLQA

Items	Item loading
	Factor 1 Communication	Factor 2 Psychological condition	Factor 3 Autonomy
To speak with a group	0.879
To speak of a new topic in a conversation	0.866
To follow a conversation with many people	0.852
To take part in a conversation about you	0.847
To tell facts or events	0.832
To understand a joke, proverb, and an expression	0.821
To speak with people not belonging to family	0.819
To express your opinion when you make decisions that concern you	0.816
To understand when others speak	0.815
To explain yourself with your relatives	0.812
To understand television programs	0.805
To understand if others speak quickly	0.801
To discuss a question carefully	0.788
To understand something that does not concern you	0.779
To begin a conversation	0.763
To understand a journal article	0.748
To find the right words	0.747
To use the phone	0.708
To formulate a sentence	0.657
To draw someone’s attention in case of need	0.631
To draw someone’s attention using gestures and sounds	0.627
To take care of children	0.542
To feel sadness		0.769
The psychological condition affects the social life		0.701
To feel embarrassment when you are with other people		0.697
To feel irritable		0.682
The physical status affects the emotional one		0.642
Language problems affect your work		0.512
To do the shopping			−0.858
To go out			−0.847
To take pharmacological therapy			−0.780
To write			−0.723
To manage your money			−0.713
Need of someone’s assistance in ADL			−0.701
To participate in hobbies			−0.692
Need of someone’s help in daily shopping			−0.562
Need of assistance in working			−0.457

Abbreviations: QLQA, quality of life questionnaire for aphasics; ADL, activities of daily living.

Table 3 Convergent and discriminant validity of QLQA

Instruments	QLQA communication	QLQA autonomy	QLQA psychological condition	QLQA total score
Token test	0.60**	0.35**	0.23**	0.59**
Raven’s coloured progressive matrices	0.28*	0.22	−0.00	0.25
Total FIM	0.62**	0.67**	0.13	0.69**
Motor FIM	0.52**	0.63**	0.11	0.63**
Cognitive FIM	0.65**	0.53**	0.14	0.64**
FAM comprehension	0.63**	0.42**	0.11	0.63**
FAM expression	0.44**	0.40**	0.09	0.37**
FAM reading	0.63**	0.58**	0.20*	0.59**
FAM writing	0.54**	0.61**	0.18*	0.60**
FAM speech intelligibility	0.55**	0.48**	0.21*	0.54**
FAM social interaction	0.62**	0.51**	0.17*	0.62**
FAM emotional status	0.58**	0.43**	0.29**	0.60**
FAM adjustment to limitation	0.61**	0.49**	0.04	0.71**
FAM employability	0.50**	0.63**	0.22**	0.51**
FAM problem solving	0.44**	0.53**	0.16	0.36**
FAM memory	0.60**	0.53**	0.07	0.63**
FAM orientation	0.65**	0.54**	0.12	0.69**
FAM attention span	0.54**	0.57**	0.17*	0.57**
FAM safety judgment	0.54**	0.51**	0.03	0.61**
FAM total score	0.73**	0.64**	0.17*	0.75**
AAT spontaneous speech total score	0.63**	0.42**	0.15	0.58**

Notes:

* P<0.05

** P<0.001.

Abbreviations: QLQA, quality of life questionnaire for aphasics; FIM, Functional Independence Measure; FAM, Functional Assessment Measure; AAT, Aachener Aphasia Test.

Table 4 Demographic and clinical features of severe and mild aphasics

	Severe aphasics (n=112)	Mild aphasics (n=34)	Comparison between two groups
Demographic features
Age (years), mean ± SD	68.41±9.83	68.32±11.88	t144=−0.043, NS
Education (years), mean ± SD	6.79±4.35	7.15±4.21	t144=0.428, NS
Sex (M/F)	61/51	18/16	χ^2=0.02, df=1, NS
Clinical features, mean ± SD
Onset, months	384.48±629.03	447.09±526.92	t143=0.526, NS
Token test	8.80±7.62	19.13±9.72	U=669 P<0.001
Raven’s coloured matrices	16.57±6.54	21.94±8.55	U=189.5, P<0.01
Total FIM	41.66±24.51	70.32±31.43	U=821, P<0.001
Motor FIM	29.66±20.88	46.79±25.88	U=1,079.5, P<0.001
Cognitive FIM	11.83±6.29	23.56±11.87	U=517, P<0.001
QLQA communication	29.46±19.67	53.55±20.27	U=772.5, P<0.001
QLQA autonomy	4.39±5.49	12.94±9.86	U=832.5, P<0.001
QLQA psychological condition	7.34±5	9.12±6.31	U=1,588.5, NS
QLQA total score	46.75±27.32	77.5±28.59	U=858, P<0.001
AAT total score	7.65±8.31	19.65±3.99	U=188.5, P<0.001

Abbreviations: QLQA, quality of life questionnaire for aphasics; SD, standard deviation; NS, not significant; df, degrees of freedom; FIM, Functional Independence Measure; AAT, Aachener Aphasia Test; M, male; F, female; NS, not significant.

Table 5 Demographic and clinical features of acute and chronic aphasics

	Acute aphasics (n=84)	Chronic aphasics (n=62)	Comparison between two groups
Demographic features
Age (years), mean ± SD	70.46±9.98	65.58±10.12	t144=2.904, P<0.01
Education (years), mean ± SD	6.67±4.49	7.15±4.05	t144=−0.663, NS
Sex (M/F)	41/43	38/24	χ^2=1.76, df=1, NS
Clinical features, mean ± SD
Onset, months	30.31±16.55	907.08±653.20	t143=−12.313, P<0.001
Token test	9.27±9.23	14.03±8.93	U=1,435.5, P<0.01
Raven’s coloured matrices	18.16±7.64	20.12±7.94	U=95, NS
Total FIM	36.33±21.59	66.17±29.21	U=927.5, P<0.001
Motor FIM	23.82±16.89	48.16±23.83	U=854, P<0.001
Cognitive FIM	12.31±7.49	18.02±10.82	U=1,479, P<0.001
QLQA communication	27.01±20.02	46.00±20.46	U=1,316.5, P<0.001
QLQA autonomy	4.08±5.03	9.5±9.34	U=1,582.5, P<0.001
QLQA psychological condition	7.55±5.44	8.03±5.29	U=2,431.5, NS
QLQA total score	38.64±23.79	74.6±26.06	U=803.5 P<0.001
AAT total score	10.85±9.06	6.82±8.65	U=314, NS

Abbreviations: SD, standard deviation; NS, not significant; df, degrees of freedom; FIM, Functional Independence Measure; QLQA, quality of life questionnaire for aphasics; AAT, Aachener Aphasia Test; M, male; F, female; NS, not significant.

Table 6 Demographic and clinical variables of aphasics and control group

	Aphasic patients (n=84)	Control patients (n=37)	Comparison between two groups
Demographic features
Age (years), mean ± SD	70.46±9.99	67.24±7.70	t119=1.745, NS
Education (years), mean ± SD	6.67±4.49	7.22±4.76	t119=−0.609, NS
Sex (M/F)	41/43	22/15	χ^2=0.78, df=1, NS
Clinical features, mean ± SD
Onset, months	30.31±16.56	43.05±20.43	t119=−3.624, P<0.001
Token test	9.27±9.23	28.88±4.01	U=93.5, P<0.001
Raven’s coloured matrices	18.16±7.64	20.28±5.14	U=673, NS
Total FIM	36.33±21.59	48.08±16.02	U=809, P<0.001
Motor FIM	23.82±16.88	24.19±12.2	U=1243.5, NS
Cognitive FIM	12.31±7.49	24.16±7.74	U=433.5, P<0.001
QLQA communication	27.01±20.02	71.67±18.10	U=206, P<0.001
QLQA autonomy	4.08±5.03	16.86±9.06	U=309, P<0.001
QLQA psychological condition	7.55±5.44	18.94±5.4	U=268, P<0.001
QLQA total score	38.64±23.79	107.49±28.53	U=146, P<0.001

Abbreviations: SD, standard deviation; NS, not significant; df, degrees of freedom; FIM, Functional Independence Measure; QLQA, quality of life questionnaire for aphasics; M, male; F, female.