Research and development
Focus on
Why is this important for occupational therapists ?
Between 54 % and 75 % of people experience sexual wellbeing problems after acquired brain injury ( Moreno , Gan and Zasler 2017 ; Zarreii , Humayun and Horn 2018 ), equating to approximately 1.6 million people in the UK alone . These astounding figures highlight the clear unmet need for support solutions in this area .
However , there is no consensus on when , how , or by whom , sexual wellbeing should be supported following acquired brain injury .
Early supported discharge models discharge patients from specialist services before intimacy issues typically manifest , which is around three to six months after injury .
Occupational therapy is most likely to be ongoing at this time for people with acquired brain injury , and so occupational therapists are often well positioned to initiate and respond to discussions of this nature . However , there is lack of formal education for occupational therapists relating to sexual wellbeing , particularly following disability and / or brain injury . Many occupational therapists feel ill-equipped to adequately support sexual or intimacy concerns or needs of people with an acquired brain injury .
Co-designed innovative solutions
Researchers at Coventry University and colleagues have gained funding to explore this important area . Research is underway to co-design and test a novel online , peer-support self-management programme – HOPE4ABI – for survivors of acquired brain injury to learn to manage their own mental and sexual wellbeing , at their own pace .
There are key opportunities for occupational therapists to get involved and help shape the future of this research :
•
Coventry University Trailblazer PhD studentship : a three-year funded PhD to codevelop and test the first evidence-based , peersupport programme for partners of people living with ABI to self-manage their psychological and sexual wellbeing https :// bit . ly / 3WWjFl2 .
•
Doctoral Training Alliance PhD studentship : a three-year funded PhD to develop a digital toolkit specifically for use by occupational therapists to support people with sexual wellbeing issues following acquired brain injury https :// bit . ly / 3JzRl4E .
• Brain Injury Research Group , led by Coventry University , to bring together a multidisciplinary , collaborative research group of experts ( by profession and / or lived experience ) to critique , co-design , user-test and improve research questions , methods , interventions , and patient outcomes .
Get in touch
For more information about the research , PhD studentship opportunities , or getting involved in the Brain Injury Research Group , you can contact the project lead , Dr Hayley Wright , with comments , questions , or your own experiences at hayley . wright @ coventry . ac . uk . And look for updates on social media @ drhayleymwright # HOPE4ABI
Balogun B , Woodhouse J , Powell T , Long R , Beard J , Kennedy S et al ( 2020 ) House of Commons debate pack : Acquired brain injury . Number CDP 2020 / 0026 . Available at https :// commonslibrary . parliament . uk / research-briefings / cdp-2020-0026 / [ accessed : 13 January 2023 ].
Menon DK and Bryant C ( 2019 ) ‘ Time for change in acquired brain injury ’, Lancet Neurology , 18 ( 1 ) 28 . Available at https :// doi . org / 10.1016 / S1474- 4422 ( 18 ) 30463-0 [ accessed 13 January 2023 ].
Moreno A , Gan C and Zasler ND ( 2017 ) ‘ Neurosexuality : A transdisciplinary approach to sexuality in neurorehabilitation ’, NeuroRehabilitation , 41 ( 2 ): 255 – 259 . Available at https :// content . iospress . com / download / neurorehabilitation / nre001480 ? id = neurorehabilitation % 2Fnre001480 [ accessed 13 January 2023 ].
World Health Organization ( 2017 ) Sexual health and its linkages to reproductive health : an operational approach . Available at https :// apps . who . int / iris / bitstream / handle / 10665 / 258738 / 9789241512886- eng . pdf [ accessed 13 January 2023 ].
Zarreii P , Humayun M and Horn L ( 2018 ) Sexual dysfunction in acquired brain injury ( ABI ). Available at https :// now . aapmr . org / sexual-dysfunction-inacquired-brain-injury-abi / [ accessed 13 January 2023 ].
Words DR HAYLEY WRIGHT , AIMEE WALKER- CLARKE , DR GILLIAN WARD , PROFESSOR ANDY TURNER , PROFESSOR LISA KIDD and PROFESSOR AVRIL DRUMMOND . For more on HOPE4ABI visit https :// bit . ly / 3XWyWne
February 2023 OTnews 37