Background: People with communication disabilities post-stroke have poor quality-of-life.
Objectives: We aimed to explore the association of self-reported communication disabilities with different dimensions of quality-of-life between 90 and 180 days post-stroke.
Methods: Cross-sectional survey data were obtained between 90 and 180 days post-stroke from registrants in the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry recruited from three hospitals in Queensland. The usual follow-up survey included the EQ5D-3L. Responses to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and extra questions (e.g. communication disabilities) were also collected. We used χ2 statistics to determine differences.
Results: Overall, 244/647 survivors completed the survey. Respondents with communication disabilities (n = 72) more often reported moderate to extreme problems in all EQ5D-3L dimensions, than those without communication disabilities (n = 172): anxiety or depression (74% vs 40%, p < .001), pain or discomfort (58% vs 39%, p = .006), self-care (46% vs 18%, p < .001), usual activities (77% vs 49%, p < .001), and mobility (68% vs 35%, p < .001). Respondents with communication disabilities reported less fatigue (66% vs 89%, p < .001), poorer cognitive skills (thinking) (16% vs 1%, p < .001) and lower social participation (31% vs 6%, p < .001) than those without communication disabilities.
Conclusions: Survivors of stroke with communication disabilities are more negatively impacted across different dimensions of quality-of-life (as reported between 90 and 180 days post-stroke) compared to those without communication disabilities. This highlights the need for timely and on-going comprehensive multidisciplinary person-centered support.
Keywords: Stroke; anxiety; communication disorders; depression; quality-of-life; self-report.