Author(s): Kimmi Gale, Kaitlin Palmer, Marrin Vandygriff, Kiffyn Andreasen
Mentor(s): Tyson Harmon
Institution BYU
Aphasia is an acquired language disorder resulting from neurological damage—most commonly stroke. When one person in a marriage acquires aphasia, the resulting communication breakdowns and role changes can put strain on their relationship (Natterlund, 2010). Dr. Tyson Harmon’s research lab recently developed and piloted a novel approach that allows speech-language pathologists to address both communication and marital outcomes in therapy for couples with aphasia. Known as Relationship-Centered Communication Partner Training (RC-CPT), this approach, with guidance from an SLP, guides couples in setting goals and plans for self-identified roles and responsibilities. RC-CPT educates couples on the impact of aphasia on marriage and teaches communication strategies specific to their relationship (Harmon 2024). Dr. Harmon’s lab is currently preparing to test this intervention in a proof-of-concept study. As part of this study, couples will complete extensive pre-intervention testing, including four questionnaires assessing various aspects of their marital relationship. The purpose of the present project is to descriptively explore couples’ perceptions of their marital relationship after aphasia, based on the questionnaire data. We will administer four questionnaires to each couple to explore the impact of aphasia on their marriage. The Brief Accessibility, Responsiveness and Engagement scale assesses marital attachment. The Conflict and Conflict Resolution Scale evaluates perceived marital conflict and ability to resolve it. The Loneliness Scale measures individual feelings of isolation. The Relationship Communication Questionnaire asks each spouse to rate their own and their partner’s communication skills within their marriage. These questionnaires will be administered over Zoom, with each spouse in separate breakout rooms. It is anticipated that we will have data from 3-5 couples by February. These questionnaires will be analyzed descriptively, comparing data between couples and with norms from marriages without aphasia. There is limited research that has been done previously on the impact of aphasia on marriage. The data from the questionnaires will help speech-language pathologists counsel couples on how aphasia affects marriage. SLPs can use this data to guide treatments such as RC-CPT, helping couples address challenges in their marriage caused by aphasia.