Research Article
Subjective Experiences of Speech and Language Therapy in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: A Pilot Study
Table 2
A simplified illustration of the preliminary development stages of the thematic analysis.
| Narrative statement (Basic themes) | Semantic code | Themes identified (Organising themes) | Global theme |
| I worry that my speech will never improve | Anxiety | Anxiety | Emotional impact |
| I am not as self-conscious when speaking | Self-consciousness | Confidence | Emotional impact |
| I feel irritated by not being able to say what I want to, especially after all this therapy | Irritation | Frustration | Emotional impact |
| I feel very upset that I still cannot speak well enough to be understood | Concern | Disappointment | Emotional impact |
| I feel that, no matter how hard I try, my speech is no better | Disappointment | Disappointment | Emotional impact |
| The therapy is exhausting at times, and I often feel worse afterwards | Tiredness | Fatigue | Physical impact |
| I am not nearly as depressed about my speech | Depression | Disappointment | Emotional impact |
| I do not feel that therapy has done what I had hoped for | Thwarted expectations | Expectations | Expectations |
| The increased volume in my speech is noticeable and has made a big difference | Satisfaction | Expectations | Expectations |
| I am always worn out after a therapy session | Tiredness | Fatigue | Physical impact |
| I get fed up with the amount of practice I have to do | Irritation | Frustration | Emotional impact |
| The cost of LSVT is too high | Cost | Financial commitment | Practical concerns |
| I waited ages to get therapy and my speech went downhill during that time | Wait times | Waiting times | Practical concerns |
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