Coping strategies and the positive and negative impact of caring for a person with aphasia on daily life

PURPOSE: To investigate the types of coping strategies used by carers of people with aphasia and the ways these coping strategies interact with the positive and negative impact of caring on daily life. METHOD: The Ways of Coping Questionnaire was completed by 11 carers of people with aphasia. Six carers also completed in-depth semi-structured interviews. Coping strategies were classified according to the original 8-factor structure of the Ways of Coping Questionnaire. Interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis to map findings to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health framework and thematic analysis to identify key themes. RESULT: The questionnaire revealed that participants mostly used strategies that have previously been found to be beneficial for adjustment but provided novel insight that self-controlling behaviours were frequently used. The interviews provided finer grained insight into aphasia-specific coping behaviours and a broader understanding of the effects of caregiving on participants' daily lives. Three of the key themes (emotional self-control, positive reappraisal, and the need for time to oneself) were findings that converged across methods. CONCLUSION: The research identified practical ways to help carers of people with aphasia. Some would require systemic change, however others could be more easily implemented. Further investigation of the coping strategies used by carers of people with aphasia could help to guide intervention and support specific to this population.