ABI Carer Study V1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Caring for Someone with an Acquired Brain Injury: the Role of Psychological Flexibility
IRAS ID
269409
Contact name
David Gillanders
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 17 days
Research summary
Acquired Brain Injuries (ABI) can have significant and long-lasting impact on survivors including difficulties in emotional, behavioural and cognitive domains of their lives. Family members or friends often take the role of caregiver involving personal care, emotional support, medical care and assistance with all activities of daily living. Research has shown that psychological distress and reduced quality of life (QoL) is common in caregivers of people with ABI and that this can have a negative impact on the recovery of the patient with the ABI.
Social support, coping styles and appraisal of the caregiver situation are all established factors associated with how caregivers of various conditions adjust. Similarly, a concept called psychological flexibility has been shown to be associated with wellbeing for a range of disorders and populations, including caregivers of people with dementia. However, little is known with regards to how these factors impact on the wellbeing of people caring for someone with an ABI specifically.
Using a cross-sectional design, this research study will explore if, and how, these above-mentioned factors are associated with psychological distress and the QoL of ABI caregivers. Participants will be recruited through advertisements on social media and websites of brain injury charities, and through posters in the NHS Lothian Clinical Neuropsychology Department and local charities.
The study will invite participants identifying as informal caregivers of someone with an ABI to complete several questionnaires. There will be two routes of administration of the questionnaires: online and pen/paper. For both modes of administration, participants will be provided with written information about the study followed by questions to indicate their informed consent to participate. All questionnaires will be anonymised and self-reported involving, for example, questions about coping strategies, social support, the participant’s mental health and their perception of the functioning of the person they care for.
REC name
HSC REC B
REC reference
19/NI/0215
Date of REC Opinion
20 Nov 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion