Spouse experiences of realizations of change after brain injury.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Spouse and partner experiences of the impact of acquired brain injury (ABI). A qualitative study exploring realizations of change following the ABI of a “loved one”.
IRAS ID
229994
Contact name
Chloe Ghosh-Cannell
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of East Anglia
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 14 days
Research summary
Having a brain injury can greatly change how people manage emotions, plan activities of daily living and share thoughts with others. This can be hard for the people closest to them, due to changes in both the person they knew and family life overall. This project will explore how spouses and partners of people with brain injuries make sense of their situation when realizing these changes. It is hoped that the results will provide a meaningful interpretation of these experiences, along with helping guide services supporting families of people with brain injury. Twelve people will be recruited from local services to take part in a face to face interview. Interviewees will be asked about what has changed since the injury and what it meant for them. They will also be asked about what they did or did not find helpful. The interview will last one hour and include a few set questions to guide the talk. It is possible that some people may become upset when talking about these topics. The researcher will be sensitive to this by providing support and offering a break during the interview. All accounts will then be analyzed to gather shared themes among participants and gain a deeper understanding of the lived experience.
Once complete, the results will be shared with each participant and they will have the chance to give feedback if they wish to. Results will also be shared with services by providing a leaflet or presentation. The whole study will be written up as a report, with a view to being published and presented at conferences in the field of brain injury.
REC name
Social Care REC
REC reference
18/IEC08/0006
Date of REC Opinion
23 Feb 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion