Hit in the Heart of Life: How Meeting Like-Minded Peers May Contribute to Psychosocial Recovery of Adolescents and Young Adults With Acquired Brain Injury

Peer support needs, preferences and experiences of adults with acquired neurological disability: a scoping review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Peer support is a promising adjunct to traditional rehabilitation methods for helping adults with acquired neurological disability adjust to and navigate life with a disability. However, there is limited guidance on how to implement peer support for this cohort. To help inform peer support practices, the aim of this scoping review is to determine what is currently known about the peer support needs, preferences and experiences of adults with acquired neurological disability.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The scoping review will be conducted according to guidelines published by Arksey and O'Malley, Levac et al and Peters et al. Reporting will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews. Systematic searches on five electronic databases (CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Scopus) will be conducted to identify peer-reviewed research published since 2013 that investigates any type of peer support for adults (18-65 years) with any acquired neurological disability. Information about the study, participant and peer support characteristics, as well as data pertaining to the key outcomes of interest (ie, needs, preferences and experiences), will be charted, summarised and reported. Qualitative data will be analysed using thematic synthesis, and findings will be discussed with 4-6 people with lived experience of acquired neurological disability.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The review does not require an ethics application. It is anticipated that findings will be disseminated through journal publications and conference presentations. Translation of the findings to non-academic audiences will be informed by the consultation with lived experience experts.

'We're all on the same journey; some are just a bit further down the road than others': a qualitative study exploring peer mentors' experiences in Active Rehabilitation camps for individuals with acquired brain injury

PURPOSE

This study aimed to explore how peer mentors experience their role and practice in Active Rehabilitation camps for individuals with acquired brain injury.

METHODS

Sixteen peer mentors with acquired brain injury were interviewed, and the data were analysed using Systematic text condensation. Self-determination theory was used to interpret the results.

RESULTS

Six themes were constructed: "Altruistic motives drive peer mentors" engagement", "What does it mean to be a peer mentor?", "Peer mentors question their qualifications", "Camp is tough-Nothing can compare", "Being a peer mentor-A part of one's rehabilitation process", and "Closeness and trust-A bubble of understanding". The peer mentors reported personal benefits, such as increased knowledge about brain injury, self-esteem, motivation, physical activity, community participation, and social networks. They perceived that mutual understanding among peer mentors and mentees created a safe camp atmosphere, which led to positive experiences.

CONCLUSION

The peer mentors benefitted from their role and described it as part of their rehabilitation journey. We recommend that peer mentors receive training before entering this position, feedback on their performance, and camp schedules that accommodate time for rest and informal meetings between mentees and peer mentors.

Characteristics of peer-based interventions for individuals with neurological conditions: a scoping review

PURPOSE

Peer-based interventions are increasingly popular and cost-effective therapeutic opportunities to support others experiencing similar life circumstances. However, little is known about the similarities and differences among peer-based interventions and their outcomes for people with neurological conditions. This scoping review aims to describe and compare the characteristics of existing peer-based interventions for adults with common neurological conditions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychInfo, and Embase for research on peer-based interventions for individuals with brain injury, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, and stroke up to June 2019. The search was updated in March 2021. Fifty-three of 2472 articles found were included.

RESULTS

Characteristics of peer-based intervention for this population vary significantly. They include individual and group-based formats delivered in-person, by telephone, or online. Content varied from structured education to tailored approaches. Participant outcomes included improved health, confidence, and self-management skills; however, these varied based on the intervention model.

CONCLUSION

Various peer-based interventions exist, each with its own definition of what it means to be a peer. Research using rigorous methodology is needed to determine the most effective interventions. Clear definitions of each program component are needed to better understand the outcomes and mechanism of action within each intervention.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONRehabilitation services can draw on various peer support interventions to add experiential knowledge and support based on shared experience to enhance outcomes.Fulfilling the role of peer mentor may be beneficial and could be encouraged as part of the rehabilitation process for people with SCI, TBI, Stroke, PD, or MS.In planning peer-based interventions for TBI, Stroke, SCI, PD, and MS populations, it is important to clearly define intervention components and evaluate outcomes to measure the impact of the intervention.

Unequal neurorehabilitation trajectories - a longitudinal case study combining field structures with social Class-Based Capital Conversion

Inequalities in illness, service provision, and outcomes are well documented in the Nordic universal welfare state. The ways in which inequalities are produced during illness recovery trajectories remain largely unknown. Long-term brain injury rehabilitation in this context provides a window into veiled aspects of inequality and the underlying mechanisms. We examine inequality empirically by combing framing field structures with the classed abilities of families to mobilise capital after a severe acquired brain injury (severe ABI). Using a Bourdieuan theoretical framework, informed by the concepts of field, doxa, cultural health capital (CHC), and rehabilitation capital (RC), we designed a longitudinal case study encompassing professional records, observations, and interviews that tracked and analysed subjects' trajectories. We found that families' consistent accumulation and conversion of capital was crucial after a severe ABI because of the multifaceted rehabilitation process involving many different field specific agendas and doxas. This study supplements previous concepts (CHC and RC) developed in a health care context by including other rehabilitation contexts. These disparities in forms of capital amongst social classes result in winners and losers and were reflected in the rehabilitation trajectories of the young adults, characterised by continuity on one extreme and broken trajectories on the other.

Who are relatives? Young adults, relatives and professionals' perceptions of relatives during the rehabilitation of young adults with a severe acquired brain injury

PURPOSE

This paper explores the perception of "relatives" during the rehabilitation of young adults with severe acquired brain injury (SABI).

METHODS

This longitudinal qualitative study followed eight young adults with a SABI from hospital discharge to a year and a half after discharge. The design encompassed professional records, interviews, and surveys, including a name generator list completed by the young adults and focus group interviews with both their families and professionals. We apply a sociological theoretical framework concerning friendship, and we employ social network analysis (SNA) methodology to capture, visualise, and analyse the young adults' significant social relations.

RESULTS

Social relations engaged as relatives during rehabilitation are to a large extent determined by the perceptions of professionals and the parents of the young adult. These perceptions contain a limited number of social relations, with priority given to biological and juridical ties. This might reflect the reduced social support available for the young adult, who initially had a much larger social network.

CONCLUSION

The authors suggest a professional rethinking of who "relatives" are as well as considering these social ties as dynamic. Implications for rehabilitationRehabilitation professionals must be aware of and pay attention to differing perceptions that exist as to who qualifies as significant social relations in order to reconsider the practical implementation of relative involvement.The perception of who relatives are during the rehabilitation process should be reconsidered and extended to include who the young adult perceive as significant social relations.Relatives are not a fixed entity and should be considered dynamically throughout the rehabilitation process.Social relations of the young adult must to a larger extent be considered during rehabilitation to prevent social isolation in the long run.