The Possible Selves of Individuals with an Acquired Brain Injury
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Possible Selves of Individuals with an Acquired Brain Injury
IRAS ID
230004
Contact name
Laura Barnes
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of East Anglia
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 27 days
Research summary
People with an acquired brain injury often report feeling a change or loss of identity. For example, a person who saw themselves as the breadwinner for their family prior to their injury might find that they are no longer able to work, thereby impacting their sense of self. Rebuilding a sense of identity after brain injury has been associated with a better quality of life. Rehabilitation after brain injury therefore needs to consider identity-related issues. However, people with a brain injury do not always achieve their rehabilitation goals. ‘Loss of self’ may impact on engagement, for example through failure to accept new limitations. This therefore impacts rehabilitation success.
Developing goals that are both important to identity and realistic after a brain injury is important to help people adjust. The best way to help people with a brain injury to meet their goals needs further investigating, particuarly because goal attainment is not always met in the rehabiliation setting. Investigating goals and identity together might shed more light on what motivates people and what helps them achieve better quality of life.
Possible selves are people’s hopes, fears and expectations for themselves in the future. For example, a person may hold a ' hoped-for possible self' of having children. Possible selves link identity and goals because they tell us about how people see themselves in the future and what they want to achieve and avoid. Possible selves have been useful in other population groups, like dementia and chronic pain, to investigate how people adjust to illness. This pilot study will investigate the possible selves of individuals with an acquired brain injury. This aims to see if the possible selves construct is a useful approach and whether it could provide insight into under what conditions goals and identity are linked to better outcomes.
REC name
London - Harrow Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/0312
Date of REC Opinion
28 Feb 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion