Ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief among spouses of brain injury survivors

Figures & data

Table 1 Participants.

Pseudonym	Age	Time since the injury (years)	Partner’s injury
Irene	50s	5	Stroke
Kate	66	2	Stroke
Carter	58	4	Hemorrhage after operation
Ben	50s	5	Hemorrhage after operation

Table 2 Interview guide.

Research question	Interview question
Who is the participant and who is their partner?	Can you tell me about yourself and (name of spouse)?
What have the caregivers experienced?	How did you experience becoming a caregiver/your partner acquiring a brain injury?
What loss has the participant experienced in relation to becoming a caregiver?	Have you experienced changes in your life after your partner’s ABI? Is your life different today? If yes  How?  How do you feel about the changes related to the ABI?
How is the grief expressed and experienced? (Emotions, body, behavior)	Do you experience difficult emotions? Can you describe what you experience as hard?
How do they think about their experiences?	What do you do when you feel difficult emotions or loss?
What role does the grief play in their life?	Do you feel like you can talk about your feelings and your loss?

Figure 1 Themes illustrated in the bio-psycho-social model.