Experience of a cognitive behavioural therapy and mindfulness intervention for men with a history of traumatic brain injury in prison: a thematic analysis

ABSTRACT

Interventions to improve awareness of brain injury and support the development of coping strategies may help reduce potential longer-term impacts. A 10 session, group-based, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and mindfulness intervention was conducted in prison, with adult men reporting a history of brain injury. Following completion of the intervention, 17/36 (47.2%) participants were interviewed about their experiences of TBI and the intervention. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Four themes were identified: the journey into jail, learning from others, new understandings and developing new ways of coping. The results revealed that the intervention improved self-understanding, enabling them to be more accepting of their difficulties and experiencing hope through learning new ways of responding to life situations. Increased breaks, a focus on wider TBI implications and a follow-up session were suggested improvements.

KEYWORDS:

• Brain injury
• prison
• TBI
• cognitive behavioural therapy
• mindfulness
• qualitative research

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Declaration of conflicting interests

AT and EdP report no conflicts of interest. TM was employed as the Head of Health Care by the service where the intervention was delivered.

Additional information

Funding

No research funding was sourced for this study.