Establishing a person-centred framework of self-identity after traumatic brain injury: a grounded theory study to inform measure development (original) (raw)

Identity construction following traumatic brain injury: a case study

The South African journal of communication disorders. Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir Kommunikasieafwykings, 2006

This construction of self-identity pre- and post-Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in a single case study is described. A life history research methodology was employed to explore the experience of a survivor of TBI, using a single case study design. The participant was a 31-year-old White South African male who sustained TBI while on duty in the army. Multiple interviews were conducted with the participant to allow in-depth exploration of his self-identity formation pre- and post-TBI. Data analysis entailed transcribing the interviews, crafting a research story (narrative analysis) and an analysis of the narrative. The results illuminated the emergence and development of a resistance identity as a product of early pre-TBI experience, the loss of self following TBI as well as the emergence of a positive self-identity. The embedded issues of communication and self-identity are explained. The participant's narrative espoused a hopeful optimism, strongly challenging the dominant disabil...

The psychological challenges of identity reconstruction following an acquired brain injury

2015

An acquired brain injury (ABI) has a huge impact on a person’s life and identity. However, identity research in connection with ABI is still sparse. The present study investigates how people with ABI reconstruct their identity in the first year post-injury. Forty-three Danish adults were interviewed (semi- structured interviews) twice: while hospitalized and one year post-injury. Discourse analysis, drawing on the concepts of positioning and agency, was applied in order to investigate developmental processes in self-narratives over time. The analysis reveals that one of the key patterns in identity construction in this cohort is that the psychological changes and identity transitions emerge over time.

Loss of self" in the narratives of people with traumatic brain injuries: a qualitative analysis

Social science & medicine (1982), 1998

To discover how people with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) experience themselves, narrative data from ten individuals with TBI were analyzed. The findings suggest that people with TBI experience loss of self in various forms although they may successfully use strategies to avoid or minimize the sense of loss. First, people with TBI find it difficult to develop clear self-knowledge about how they have become as they are and what they can and cannot do. Second, loss of self is conspicuous when they compare their present status with their past in many aspects of their lives. Third, their senses of self are threatened by labels that they feel the society imposes upon them. This categorization of loss of self can serve for rehabilitation counseling of this population. It may assist counselors to enhance their understanding of emotional distress after TBI and to make use of their clients' narratives for the intervention.

Feeling part of things”: Personal construction of self after brain injury

Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 2008

There is a growing body of literature on the nature of subjective changes experienced following brain injury. This study employs personal construct and qualitative research methods to address the question of how people make sense of, or construe, themselves after brain injury. Thirty-two individuals who had experienced acquired brain injury engaged in small group exercises based on a personal construct approach. Bipolar constructs were elicited through systematic comparison of pre-injury, current and ideal selves. The constructs elicited in this way were subjected to a thematic analysis. Nine themes were derived and an acceptable level of reliability of the definitions of these themes achieved. The highest proportion of constructs fell into the theme “experience of self in the world”, followed by “basic skills” (cognitive, sensory, physical, social) and “experience of self in relation to self”. It is concluded that following brain injury, people make sense of themselves in terms of the meanings and felt experiences of social and practical activity. This is consistent with social identity theory and stands in contrast to traditional neuropsychological sense making in terms of impairments and abilities alone, or activity or social participation alone. The implications of these findings for future research and rehabilitation are briefly considered.

A scoping review on occupational and self identity after a brain injury

Work (Reading, Mass.), 2013

Persons with brain injury experience a shift in their self identity that is underpinned by work loss and changes to their worker role. However, little is known on how to assist a worker with a brain injury re-establish their occupational identity. Thus, the objective of this article is to present the results of a scoping review undertaken to examine the literature on occupational identity and self identity after a brain injury. A scoping review was performed using the keywords traumatic, acquired brain injury, occupational, and self identity. Articles were narrowed through three phases which involved reviewing articles to ensure a thorough discussion of identity after a brain injury was included and to highlight the research questions. In total 16 articles and 3 theses were included. No articles were retrieved on occupational identity after a brain injury. Fourteen articles discussed the loss of self identity experienced after a brain injury while three articles highlighted rehabili...