The impact of a university-based Intensive Comprehensive Aphasia Program (ICAP) on psychosocial well-being in stroke survivors with aphasia

Background: Stroke survivors with aphasia often experience reduced psychosocial well-being. Intensive comprehensive aphasia programs (ICAPs) are an ideal model in which to treat persons with aphasia (PWAs) to improve both cognitive-linguistic impairments and psychosocial well-being. Aims: To investigate the impact of a university-based ICAP on psychosocial well-being using measures of depression, aphasia-related quality of life, and communicative participation. Methods & Procedures: Thirty-seven PWAs (13 females, 24 males; mean age of 65 years; mean time post onset of 60 months) participated in a university-based ICAP across six ICAP sessions. Psychosocial outcome measures were administered before and after participating in an ICAP including: Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Assessment of Living with Aphasia (ALA), and Communicative Effectiveness Index (CETI). Paired samples t-tests were used to compare pre- and post-ICAP performance on each measure, and Pearson’s r correlation coefficients were used to evaluate potential relations between measures, as well as relations between measures and demographic and treatment variables. Outcomes & Results: Depression, as measured by the GDS, significantly decreased pre- to post-ICAP. Pre-treatment scores for the GDS and ALA were significantly correlated. Change scores for the GDS were predictive of change scores for the ALA and CETI. PWAs who had the lowest educational attainment showed the greatest change on the GDS and ALA. Conclusions: Results suggest that the ICAP service delivery model has the potential to improve psychosocial well-being by reducing depression and improving quality of life. Findings provide preliminary evidence that the ICAP model can be efficacious when implemented in a university setting.