Theory of Mind questionnaire in ABI
Research type
Research Study
Full title
RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF THEORY OF MIND QUESTIONNAIRE IN INDIVIDUALS WITH ACQUIRED BRAIN INJURY.
IRAS ID
201695
Contact name
Laura Bach
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Homerton University Hospital
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
16/LO/0555, NRES London - Fulham
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Theory of Mind (ToM) is the ability to understand others peoples’ behaviour and to be able to understand others have thoughts, beliefs and intentions which are different from one’s own, when these thoughts and intentions are not explicitly stated. Acquired brain injury (ABI) frequently results in behavioural disturbance which includes difficulties with ToM e.g. saying or doing socially inappropriate things, lack of empathy and reduced sympathy for others, difficulty understanding humour, difficulty with understanding other peoples point of view. Behavioural disturbance is a major reason that ABI patients fail to progress well in rehabilitation and fail to return to work. Because socially inappropriate behaviour can be a result of ToM impairments rather than a behavioural regulation problem, it requires different treatment. It is thus important to identify if ABI patients are impaired in ToM ability in order to offer them the correct treatment. Currently there are no standardised nor quick and simple ways to do this. It is well known that quick and timely intervention results in positive outcomes, hence the quicker we are able to identify and treat stroke patients with the correct and appropriate treatment then the more likely they are to show a positive outcome, rather than deteriorate in terms of current behaviour and their future prospects. There is thus a need to develop a ToM questionnaire for ABI patients. This research will help build upon extant knowledge and understanding of the cognitive and affective (emotional) mechanisms underlying social behaviour and lead to the development of a specific instrument (i.e. ToM questionnaire) to identify, assess and monitor social behaviour in order to provide ABI patients with timely, appropriate and effective treatment, and thus help them to re-integrate back into the community, return to work and raise their quality of life.
REC name
London - Hampstead Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/0795
Date of REC Opinion
21 Jul 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion