Changing perceptions of self as a communicator in Parkinson's disease: a longitudinal follow-up study

Purpose. Dysarthria in neurological conditions can impact on people's view of themselves as communicators. How views might evolve and how they relate to changes in other variables remains unclear. We investigated patterns of change in self-perception as a communicator in people with Parkinson's disease (PD) and compared outcomes to changes in other clinical measures. Methods. Thirty-one people with initially early-stage PD completed a 22-item self-administered semantic differential questionnaire aimed at characterising their view of themselves as communicators before they had PD and at two assessment points 3 years apart. Patterns of change across time were analysed, and compared to intelligibility, motor, mood and cognitive measures. Results. Negative changes in perceptions of self as a communicator occurred, in particular in reactions around competence, adequacy, control and ease in communication. There was variability between individuals and between items. No significant relationship was established between changes on self-perception scores and other measures. Conclusions. Individuals' views of themselves as communicators evolve over time in progressive neurological conditions. Changes do not relate straightforwardly to other clinical measures. Major impact can occur despite good intelligibility levels. Exploring self-perceptions, individual reactions and coping strategies are argued to be a vital part of assessment and management.