Digital self-management of mental and sexual wellbeing after ABI: RCT
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Digital self-management for mental and sexual wellbeing after acquired brain injury (HOPE4ABI): feasibility randomised controlled trial
IRAS ID
325598
Contact name
Hayley Wright
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Coventry University
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN46988394
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
P147535, Coventry University Ethics Committee reference number
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 31 days
Research summary
What is the problem?
Every 90 seconds in the UK, someone has an injury to their head. This is known medically as acquired brain injury (ABI), and can include stroke, traumatic brain injury, tumour and meningitis. ABI can cause long-term psychological issues, which can affect how someone feels about themselves and others. These feelings can cause problems with personal and social relationships. Over one million people with ABI have long-term depression, sexual problems, or both. Mental and sexual wellbeing are closely linked - if one gets worse, so does the other.We want to break this cycle, but topics like sex are not easy to discuss. Research has shown peer-supported self-management helps people to live with the effects of ABI. However, to date, sexual wellbeing support has never been included in such programmes.
What will we do?
We have co-designed an 8-week online course with and for people with ABI. The course (‘HOPE4ABI’) aims to support people to manage their own mental and sexual wellbeing after ABI. We will test HOPE4ABI with 60 people with ABI, comparing: 1) peer-supported HOPE4ABI; 2) self-directed HOPE4ABI. Participants will be allocated randomly with a 50/50 chance of being in either group. Questionnaires and interviews will help us understand what works, and what does not.How will we do it?
We have repurposed some of the content from another online programme (HOPE), that has improved mental wellbeing for people with cancer. We have co-developed new content to specifically support sexual wellbeing after ABI. A ‘feasibility’ trial will test whether HOPE4ABI is possible, sensible, and suitable. Questions we want to answer include:• Do people with ABI want to take part?
• How much of the course do they access?
• What do they like or dislike about it?
• Will they complete the questionnaires?REC name
West Midlands - Edgbaston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/WM/0089
Date of REC Opinion
22 Jun 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion