Group-based positive psychotherapy for people living with acquired brain injury: A feasibility study

End of project summery

Main Messages

Traditional medical approaches often fall short of addressing the comprehensive needs of those living with acquired brain injury (ABI), emphasising physical recovery and neglecting broader psychological wellbeing. This gap highlights the necessity for innovative treatment approaches that encompass not just physical but also mental and social facets of recovery. Responding to this need, our research explored the feasibility of an innovative positive psychotherapy intervention designed for individuals with ABI on which a full-scale randomised controlled trial (RCT) would build.

Main Messages and Implications

• Quantitative Data: A high level of engagement suggests that people with ABI are willing and able to participate in research on positive psychotherapy, indicating feasibility for a future larger-scale RCT.
• Qualitative Data: The intervention was acceptable to individuals with ABI and perceived as beneficial, highlighting qualitative evaluation as a useful methodological approach.
• Psychophysiological Data: While data collection is feasible, a host of potentially confounding participant characteristics may impact on our capacity to draw objective conclusions in a full-scale trial.
• Health Economics: It is feasible to conduct health economic evaluations within the context of ABI psychotherapy research, providing insights into the cost implications of implementing such interventions in real-world settings. A future trial may benefit further from a full economic evaluation that provides a wider societal perspective.
• Service user-involvement significantly influenced the work, aligning with UK Standards for Public Involvement. Prioritising inclusivity, service users contributed to all aspects of our study, ensuring relevance and accessibility.

Conclusion:

The study demonstrated successful recruitment, retention, and intervention adherence, indicating the feasibility of conducting a larger trial. Participant feedback was positive, endorsing satisfaction with the recruitment process, data collection, and the intervention. While the study was underpowered, findings are promising, showing improvements in some wellbeing measures.