The process of adjustment following brain injury
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The process of adjustment from the place of loss and disconnection into rediscovery of sense of wellness following Acquired Brain Injury.
IRAS ID
215766
Contact name
Alice Rose
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of East Anglia
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 30 days
Research summary
Around 350,000 people in the UK are affected by Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) every year. Brain injury has been shown to affect almost any area of functioning, including a person’s sense of well-being. This means brain injury can have a huge impact on a person and recovery often takes a long time.
Previous research has explored how individuals re-gain abilities, skills and a sense of self following brain injury. Levack et al. (2010) used this information to construct a model indicating how people with a brain injury ‘transition’ from a place of loss and ‘disconnect’ towards ‘reconstruction’ of their sense of self, life and well-being. The model states internal and external ‘resources’ help people navigate this process however, little detail is given on what this means or how this is done. Most research to date focuses on the external sources of support people use to rediscover a sense of well-being. There is a lack of in-depth research exploring the internal resources referred to. This study aims to explore what resources people draw on following ABI, and how these contribute to well-being following ABI.
This study forms part of a clinical psychology doctorate at the University of East Anglia, and will be carried out in conjunction with NHS and Headway Brain Injury services in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. Approximately 8-12 participants with ABI will be interviewed face-to-face for an hour about their experience of drawing on internal resources to achieve a sense of well-being following ABI. Interviews will be audio recorded and transcribed then analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The findings will be shared with the participants and published in a relevant journal. It is hoped this will improve our understanding of how to support people with ABI recover their sense of well-being.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EE/0362
Date of REC Opinion
20 Oct 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion