Cross-language generalization of language treatment in multilingual people with post-stroke aphasia: A meta-analysis



: Goral Mira, Norvik Monica I., Antfolk Jan, Agrotou Ioulia, Lehtonen Minna

: 2023

: Brain and Language

: Brain and language

: Brain Lang

: 246

: 0093-934X

: 1090-2155

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2023.105326

: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2023.105326

: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/181905559


Studies on the efficacy of language treatment for multilingual people with post-stroke aphasia and its generalization to untreated languages have produced mixed results. We conducted a systematic review and a meta-analysis to examine within- and cross-language treatment effects and the variables that affect them. We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Google Scholar (February 2020; January 2023), identifying 40 studies reporting on 1573 effect sizes from 85 individuals. We synthesized effect sizes for treatment outcomes using a multi-level model to correct for multiple observations from the same individuals. The results showed significant treatment effects, with robust within-language treatment effects and weaker cross-language treatment effects. Age of language acquisition of the treatment language predicted within-language and cross-language effects. Our results suggest that treating multilingual people with aphasia in one language may generalize to their other languages, especially following treatment in an early-acquired language and a later-learned language that became the language of immersion.

Last updated on 2025-27-03 at 21:59