Personality differences among patients with chronic aphasia predict improvement in speech-language therapy.
BACKGROUND
Negative affectivity and neurocognitive deficits including executive dysfunction have been shown to be detrimental to rehabilitation therapies. However, research on the relationship between neuropsychological deficits and improvement in speech-language therapy (SLT) for aphasia is sparse.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationships among neurocognitive and psychological functioning and improvement in SLT following aphasia due to stroke.


METHODS
Fifty patients who were ≥ 9 months post stroke and enrolled in outpatient SLT to treat aphasia participated. Using standard language assessment measures, the authors evaluated language functioning at initiation of the study and after participants completed various SLT protocols. Executive functioning, visuospatial skills, attention, and memory also were assessed to provide indices of convergent and discriminant validity. Participants' mood and affectivity were evaluated by self-report, and their functional abilities and recovery of function since stroke were assessed via caregiver report.


RESULTS
A multiple regression model testing the combined powers of neurocognitive and psychological variables was significant (P = .004, R2 = 0.33), with psychological and neurocognitive functioning accounting for 15% of the variance in relative language change beyond that accounted for by stroke severity and gross cognitive functioning. Negative affectivity expressed on the Positive and Negative Affectivity Scale made unique contributions to the model.


CONCLUSIONS
Improvement in SLT is substantially related to neurocognitive and psychological functioning, particularly affectivity. Assessment of these characteristics may assist in identifying patients who are likely to improve and in tailoring treatment programs to yield optimal outcomes.
['Votruba|Kristen L|KL|', 'Rapport|Lisa J|LJ|', 'Whitman|R Douglas|RD|', 'Johnson|Alex|A|', 'Langenecker|Scott|S|']
D000328:Adult D000339:Affect D000368:Aged D000369:Aged, 80 and over D001037:Aphasia D003072:Cognition Disorders D056344:Executive Function D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007808:Language Therapy D008297:Male D008609:Mental Status Schedule D008875:Middle Aged D009483:Neuropsychological Tests D010551:Personality D010556:Personality Tests D011237:Predictive Value of Tests D013070:Speech Therapy D013223:Statistics as Topic D020521:Stroke D055815:Young Adult
speech-language therapy affectivity executive functioning depression