Date of Award
2022
Publication Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Department
Psychology
Keywords
Persistent post-concussion, Caregivers of youth, Group-based intervention
Supervisor
C. Miller
Supervisor
S. Scratch
Rights
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Youth with persistent post-concussion symptoms (PPCS) experience challenges in physical, social, and emotional domains. Around 30% of youth experience PPCS that continue beyond four weeks post injury, making it difficult for them to return to meaningful activities. Prolonged concussion recovery has also been found to affect caregivers’ mental health and family functioning. Further, parental stress adversely affects the well-being of youth with PPCS. Despite the critical role that caregivers play in youth recovery post-injury, there is no empirically-validated intervention tailored to the specific needs of caregivers of youth with PPCS. The overall thesis objective is to explore the feasibility of a novel, virtual group-based intervention, Move&Connect-Caregivers (M&C-C). The intervention was delivered twice, where the first group included four caregivers, and the second group included five caregivers (total n=9). Feasibility metrics and semi-structured interviews were collected. Interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Findings demonstrated that M&C-C is a feasible intervention for caregivers of youth with PPCS. A visual model was developed to capture the salient features of caregivers’ experience with M&C-C, and included four categories: (1) Caregiver Background, (2) M&C-C Intervention: Structure, (3) M&C-C Intervention: Engagement, and (4) Key Takeaways. Results suggest that M&C-C is a meaningful virtual intervention that merges the benefits of social support, concussion education, and advocacy tools to support caregivers of youth with PPCS.
Recommended Citation
Al Hakeem, Hiba, "" Move&Connect Caregivers: The feasibility of a virtual group-based intervention for caregivers of youth with persistent post-concussion symptoms"" (2022). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 9137.
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/9137