The Living with Brain Injury Group
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Living with Brain Injury Group- a Qualitative Evaluation
IRAS ID
131383
Contact name
Richard Coates
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
Research has shown that group interventions for individuals with an acquired brain injury have been effective in supporting those individuals to adjust to, and cope with their brain injury. These interventions have tended to focus on, and attempt to improve, a specific ability in the brain-injured individual. However, the underlying reasons for the positive changes that have been recorded are poorly understood, and it remains to be established what components of such an intervention are most beneficial.
This study aims to evaluate an eleven-week group intervention for individuals with an acquired brain injury, termed the “Living with Brain Injury” group. The group has been designed to improve an individual’s ability to live with an acquired brain injury. The group is facilitated by two Clinical Psychologists and an Occupational Therapist and aims to provide individuals with psycho-education and strategies to help manage the adjustment and change after their brain injury.
This study will evaluate the group by interviewing participants upon completion of the group. This interview will then be analysed in order to explore a number of research questions. Our primary research question is: What impact do participants perceive the Living with Brain Injury group has on their ability to live with their brain injury and how do they feel it has this influence? Furthermore, we are also interested in participants’ expectations of such a group, changes in their emotional wellbeing and adjustment, aspects of the group that participants found helpful/unhelpful and the merits of using qualitative methods to evaluate such a group. This last research question will be explored by comparing the qualitative data from the interviews with data from a series of quantitative questionnaires that attendees of the group routinely complete pre, post and at a 3 month follow up.
REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/WM/0402
Date of REC Opinion
30 Sep 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion