Emotional experience of acquired brain injury patients after learning emotional regulation: a qualitative study.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61989/b153ar62Keywords:
acquired brain injury, emotions, dysregulation, dialectical behavior, interpretative phenomenological analysis, speech therapyAbstract
Context: Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) is responsible for multiple deficits affecting motor skills, language, cognition, behavior and also emotional regulation, which impair the quality of life of patients and their families.
Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore the emotional experience of this population after learning to regulate emotions using a dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) approach called GREMO (Groupe de Régulation ÉMOtionnelle).
Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 patients (mean age: 38.9 years) with ABI (traumatic brain injury, stroke, encephalitis, cerebral anoxia) sustained on average of 10.5 years before the interview. Data was analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). From 20 hours 26 minutes of interviews, transcripts totaling 185,471 words were analyzed using double coding.
Results: Four superordinate themes were identified: (1) identification and regulation of emotions facilitated by DBT; (2) pervasive emotions: a constant challenge for emotional regulation even after DBT; (3) emotions and relationship with others; (4) meaning, rereading one's life and desire for the future; in the light of emotional regulation.
During the interviews, participants were able to identify a range of emotions such as anger, fear, sadness, shame, as well as pleasant ones. They noted an increased awareness of their emotions since their participation in DBT, enabling them to better understand, know and recognize their emotional states. In addition, they noted an improvement in the control of their emotions and found that learning DBT skills facilitated their ability to regulate them. Despite this, they stressed that emotional management remains a daily challenge, and some expressed persistent difficulties in their interpersonal relationships, including feelings of misunderstanding and social isolation. The interviews also offered participants the opportunity to reflect on their emotional functioning and future aspirations.
Conclusion: It is therefore essential to integrate the participants' emotional experiences and goals into a perspective of post-traumatic growth and identity reconstruction, paying particular attention to this dimension in speech and language therapy.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Perrine Roulin, Lola Marmisse, Marie Kuppelin, Charone Attias, Salomé Klein, Marie-Eve Isner-Horobeti, Hélène D'Apote Vassiliadou, Agata Krasny-Pacini
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