“What’s our new normal?”: how people make sense of their partner’s cognitive and emotional difficulties following acquired brain injury

PURPOSE: Carers of people who sustain an acquired brain injury (ABI) often experience high levels of psychological distress associated with cognitive and emotional sequelae of the condition. For couples, this can often translate into relational issues, including marital dissatisfaction and social isolation. However, the psychological needs of partners of people with ABI are yet to be fully understood. This interpretative phenomenological analysis aimed to explore partners' sense-making of cognitive and emotional difficulties after ABI and how these difficulties affect their relationship. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with six working-age participants. RESULTS: Five interrelated themes were constructed: (1) The complicated nature of ABI; (2) The exhausting task of taking on the extra cognitive and emotional load; (3) Finding a new relational dynamic; (4) The need to protect; (5) The lack of effective support is isolating. CONCLUSIONS: Uninjured partners dedicated significant time and energy to the sense-making process, typically adopting an exhausting trial-and-error type of strategy. Elements of relational change, ambiguous loss, isolation, adaptation, and working in partnership were also captured. Strong emphasis was placed on the need for post-discharge ABI services to provide individualised ABI-education, mental health advice, and relational support. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.