Motivation as a predictor of speech intelligibility after total laryngectomy.
BACKGROUND
It has often been argued that if patients' success with speech rehabilitation after laryngectomy is limited, it is the result of lacking motivation on their part. This project investigated the role of motivation in speech rehabilitation.


METHODS
In a multicenter prospective cohort study, 141 laryngectomees were interviewed at the beginning of rehabilitation and 1 year after laryngectomy. Speech intelligibility was measured with a standardized test, and patients self-assessed their own motivation shortly after the surgery. Logistic regression, adjusted for several theory-based confounding factors, was used to assess the impact of motivation on speech intelligibility.


RESULTS
Speech intelligibility 1 year after laryngectomy was not significantly associated with the level of motivation at the beginning of rehabilitation (odds ratio [OR], 1.3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.7-2.3; p = .43) after adjusting for the effect of potential confounders (implantation of a voice prosthesis, patient's cognitive abilities, frustration tolerance, physical functioning, and type of rehabilitation).


CONCLUSIONS
Motivation is not a strong predictor of speech intelligibility 1 year after laryngectomy.
Department of Health Psychology, University of Wuppertal, Wuppertal, Germany. susanne.singer@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
Susanne
S
Singer
Alexandra
A
Meyer
Michael
M
Fuchs
Juliane
J
Schock
Friedemann
F
Pabst
Hans-Joachim
HJ
Vogel
Jens
J
Oeken
Annett
A
Sandner
Sven
S
Koscielny
Karl
K
Hormes
Kerstin
K
Breitenstein
Andreas
A
Dietz
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D007825:Laryngectomy / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013065:Speech Intelligibility; D013070:Speech Therapy