Third-party disability in family members of people with aphasia: a systematic review

Purpose: The WHO’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) describes third-party disability as the disability experienced by significant others as a consequence of their family members’ health condition (WHO, 2001). A systematic review of the literature was conducted to summarize the current knowledge of third-party disability in aphasia. Method: PubMed, CINAHL and three other databases were searched for peer-reviewed studies reporting on how aphasia affects family members with no date restrictions. Findings from relevant studies that met the inclusion criteria were extracted and mapped to the ICF. Results: This paper summarizes what is known about the experience of family members of people with aphasia, describing negative outcomes in the body functions and activities and participation components of the ICF. However, due to the limited consensus between studies, this review reveals an incomplete understanding of the nature of third-party disability. Conclusion: While current literature suggests there is a broad range of consequences for family members of people with aphasia, the sequelae of disability for family members of people with aphasia are not well understood. Further research is needed to better describe the nature and degree of third-party disability in aphasia.