Survivor-perceived motivational facilitators and barriers to participation in cognitive exercise following chronic acquired brain injury

ABSTRACT

Primary objective: Motivation to initiate and persist with any kind of exercise activity is challenging. This pilot study queried adults with chronic-acquired brain injuries (ABI) regarding their perceptions about motivational facilitators of and barriers to engagement in cognitive exercise activity.

Research design: A mixed methods design was used to characterize individuals’ perceptions regarding exercise and their exercise experience (written questionnaire) and to obtain their input regarding exercise-related motivational strategies and obstacles (semi-structured group interviews).

Methods: Thirty-four community-based individuals with chronic ABI and moderate-to-severe cognitive impairments completed questionnaires and engaged in audio-recorded scripted group interviews. Tallies of closed-ended questionnaire data and thematic analysis of open-ended questionnaire and group interview data were completed.

Main outcomes and results: Participants indicated a strong preference for engaging in cognitive exercise activity with others versus alone. Frequently recurring motivational facilitators regarding exercise in general and cognitive exercise in particular included ‘receipt of positive reinforcement for exercise activity’, ‘possession of needed information to engage in exercise’, and ‘possession of exercise-related goals’. Frequently recurring motivational barriers included ‘absence of exercise-related goals’ and ‘absence of consistent structure conducive to exercise’.

Conclusion: Study findings may facilitate successful engagement in cognitive exercise by chronic ABI survivors. Further research is needed.

KEYWORDS:

• Motivation
• cognition
• cognitive exercise
• chronic acquired brain injury

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the individuals who participated in this study and those who made their participation possible. We also wish to thank Chelsea Monfalcone and Megan Romanczyk for their assistance with data collection.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.