Article

OBJECTIVE: To validate a measure of the carer's perspective of a stroke
survivor's communication in everyday life. DESIGN: Cross-sectional,
interview-based, psychometric study. SETTING: A community sample from the
northwest of England, UK.Subjects: Fifty-eight carers and 58 stroke survivors
with communication problems (aphasia and/or dysarthria) following a stroke within
the previous 4-12 months. INTERVENTIONS: Administration of the 20-item Carer
Communication Outcome after Stroke (Carer COAST) scale, on two occasions, within
a two-week period; the 15-item Carers of Older People in Europe (COPE) Index, the
patient Communication Outcome after Stroke (COAST) Scale, and collection of
demographic and other data relating to the stroke survivor's disability (Barthel
Index), degree of aphasia (Frenchay Aphasia Screening Test) and hospital
diagnosis of aphasia/dysarthria. MAIN MEASURES: Acceptability (missing values),
reliability (internal consistency and test-retest reliability) and construct
validity. RESULTS: Carer COAST showed good acceptability (no incomplete items,
sample spread 24-100%), internal consistency and test-retest reliability for the
scale (a = 0.94; intraclass correlation (ICC) = 0.91) and its subscales (a =
0.78-0.90; ICC = 0.75-0.87), and indicative evidence on construct validity (Carer
COAST, COPE subscales and COAST). There were statistically significant
correlations between the communication items of Carer COAST and the negative
impact of caregiving (r(s) = -0.29) and the financial difficulties of caregiving
(r(s) = -0.38). CONCLUSIONS: The Carer COAST scale has considerable potential as
a reliable and valid measure of the carer's perspective on the communication
effectiveness of stroke survivors. Intercorrelations with COPE provide specific
evidence of the impact of caring for a person with communication difficulties
following a stroke.

Langue : ANGLAIS