Doctor to study stroke victims' swearing

A Wellington researcher will study swearing and inappropriate utterances by stroke victims.

Dr Carolyn Wilshire, of Victoria University's school of psychology, has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Marsden Fund to investigate aphasia - a language disorder which can occur after a stroke or brain damage.

She will look at "competitor blocking" - when an inappropriate word comes to mind and seems to block the desired word.

"Everyone knows somebody who has had a stroke and has difficulty with language. What we hope to do in this research is learn more about what goes on in the minds of people who are having difficulty finding words," said Dr Wilshire.

Volunteers were being sought for the study, which would use computer-based tasks to show the mental processes that occurred when a person became "blocked" on a word.

Dr Wilshire said aphasia varied from people who hesitated over words, or occasionally came out with an inappropriate word, through to those who could say only one word.

"Losing your mobility is frustrating but I think losing the ability to communicate is the worst thing for people who have had strokes. Your friends may get frustrated and stop visiting and your spouse can get frustrated. It's really isolating."

While some stroke victims used swear words out of frustration, others, who had rarely sworn in their life, were highly embarrassed by their language.

Dr Wilshire hoped her research would help clinical psychologists tailor diagnostic techniques and treatment programmes for sufferers.

- NZPA

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