Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of sense of self-identity following a traumatic brain injury of an ethnically diverse group of young people: IPA study of adolescent self identity following traumatic brain injury

There is scant published evidence on the impact of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) on self-identity development in adolescence. This study aimed to explore the experiences of self-identity adjustment following TBI in young people from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Semi structured interviews were conducted with seven ethnically diverse young people who acquired a TBI in the period of adolescence. Transcripts were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).
Five major themes were identified: 1. Temporal self-comparisons for what they had gained, lost and what remained consistent following their TBI. 2. Relational self and impact on relationships with friends and peers. 3) Embodied self and existential thinking 4) Understanding the injury event and its place in the life story 5. Adjustment over time: Stages moving from point of shock and realisation through to acceptance of the new self.

This study highlights the specificity of lived experience of TBI in adolescence, particularly intersectionality of race, gender and religion in ethnic diverse population. Recommendations are made in relation to future research and implications for clinical practice when adapting interventions for the developmental stage of adolescence.