Stress, Depression, Quality of Life, and Language Recovery in Constraint Induced Aphasia Therapy (CIAT)

Traditional aphasia treatment approaches focus initially on restoration of language, but quickly move to use of alternative modes of communication when progress is slow. Constraint Induced Aphasia Therapy (CIAT), a more intensive form of treatment, is based on the concept of frequent, long sessions and forced use of the impaired language system. Prior to the present study, the relationship between CIAT and stress had not been explored; therefore, this study compared cortisol stress levels and improvement of language skills in two groups of subjects, all of whom presented with expressive aphasia. Ten subjects participated in CIAT, and received 10 days of intensive treatment over two weeks. Ten subjects received traditional aphasia treatment, and received six days of treatment over two weeks. The study also examined perceived stress, depression, and quality of life as variables that might influence candidacy for CIAT. All participants in each group provided salivary cortisol samples, and completed perceived stress, depression, and quality of life questionnaires pre-treatment, mid-treatment, and post-treatment. Language skills were assessed pre-treatment and post-treatment. Results showed that, at baseline and at the end of treatment, there was no difference between groups on measures of cortisol stress levels; however, at mid-treatment, cortisol stress levels were significantly higher in the CIAT group. Participants in the CIAT group showed significant improvement on word repetition and overall aphasia quotient, whereas participants in the traditional treatment group showed no significant change. There were no significant changes in perceived stress scores, depression scores, or quality of life scores across time in either of the two groups. Implications for use of CIAT as a viable and effective treatment method for individuals with aphasia are discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Occupational Therapy

Year

2013

Author dc:creator

• Sharp, Brian

Contributors dc:contributor

• Shaughnessy, Paige
• Berk, Lee S.
• Daher, Noha
• Swain, Deborah

• Rehabilitation and Therapy
• Aphasia - Treatment; Language disorders - Treatment; Aphasia - Therapy; Language Disorders - Therapy; Language Therapy - Methods; Aphasia - Rehabilitation;
• Stress
• Depression
• Constraint Induced Aphasia Therapy
• Language Recovery
• Rehability Therapy
• Traditional Aphasia Therapy

Statement dc:rights

• This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/152

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarsrepository.llu.edu:etd-1151