Abstract

The level of agreement proxy-caregivers have with individuals with aphasia (IWAs) on a measure of perceived stress has yet to be systematically investigated. According to the extant literature, there is less agreement on psychosocial domains between proxy-caregivers and IWAs. In addition, high levels of mutuality have been strongly associated with low levels of stress in stroke survivors; however, these studies are not been specific to IWAs. The proposed study sought to examine the degree of agreement between proxy-caregiver reports and IWAs' perceived stress using a modified stress scale specifically for IWAs. This study also examined the relationship between perceived stress and mutuality of the relationship between the caregiver and IWAs. The modified Perceived Stress Scale (mPSS), a proxy version of the mPSS, and the Mutuality Scale (MS) were administered to 12 dyads. An independent sample t-test was conducted to determine if there were significant differences in perceived stress and mutuality as reported by the caregiver, proxy-caregiver and IWA. A Pearson correlation was performed to determine the level of agreement across questionnaires. Results show a moderate correlation on mPSS ratings between the proxy-caregiver and IWA. On average, proxy ratings on the mPSS were significantly higher than reports from IWAs. There was strong agreement on mutuality among the dyads and a moderate correlation between mutuality agreement and proxy agreement. Finally, there was a moderate correlation between the caregiver's mPSS score and increased disagreement between the proxy-caregiver and the IWA's mPSS score. These findings suggest a moderate agreement on perceived stress among caregivers and IWAs. Differences in agreement on perceived stress for proxy-caregiver and IWAs were minimized when perceived mutuality between the dyads were high. Further, caregivers were more likely to overestimate the perceived stress of IWAs when their own mPSS ratings were high. Study limitations and future directions are also discussed.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2019

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Wilson, Lauren Bislick

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Health Professions and Sciences

Department

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Degree Program

Communication Sciences and Disorders

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0007652

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0007652

Language

English

Release Date

August 2024

Length of Campus-only Access

5 years

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Campus-only Access)

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