Quality of Communication Life in Individuals with Broca’s Aphasia and Normal Individuals: A Comparative Study

BACKGROUND: Aphasia is a neurogenic communication disorder with significant deficits in various domains of language and communication. One such type of aphasia, which impacts the quality of life significantly is Broca's aphasia, where the individual is aware of the communication difficulty. OBJECTIVE: To compare the Quality of Communication Life (QoCL) between individuals with Broca's aphasia and normal individuals. METHODS: The first phase of the study translated and validated QCL scale in Tamil. The second phase involved administration of the Tamil QCL scale on 12 individuals with Broca's aphasia and 12 age matched normal adults. The marked responses were analysed on a visual analogue scale independently. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Three domains of QoCL were compared between the two groups using Mann–Whitney U-test. RESULTS: The QoCL scores across three domains were observed to be lower in individuals with Broca's aphasia, when compared to normal adults. Individuals with Broca's aphasia expressed greater challenges in socialization/activities domain of QoCL than confidence/self-concept and roles and responsibilities domains. CONCLUSIONS: Information obtained on self-reported QCL scale in familiar or native language will facilitate in planning client-oriented management of aphasia.