School life following acquired brain injury: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the experiences of adolescents, their parents and teachers in the Irish context

Abstract

Aims: Research on acquired brain injury (ABI) has acknowledged the importance of environmental factors in the rehabilitation process. Given that adolescents spend a large proportion of their time in the school setting, schools are considered to play a vital role. Currently, there is a paucity of research in Ireland about the experience of school following ABI and this study aimed to fill this gap in knowledge. This study aimed to explore adolescents’ lived experience of school following ABI and the experiences of their parents and teachers in supporting them.

Method: The study was situated within the interpretivist paradigm and used a multi-perspectival qualitative design. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was chosen as the methodological framework. Three adolescents and their mothers were recruited through a gatekeeper, a tertiary neurorehabilitation service. Two teachers were recruited by contacting the adolescents’ schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and the data were analysed according to guidelines from Smith et al. (2022).

Results: Four themes were identified: The new normal: things have changed; Challenging the new normal: I am still capable; Negotiation of the new normal with others: a multi-directional process; and Punctuating the new normal: COVID-19. A central element of the lived experience was the advent of the new normal. The adolescents acknowledged that things had changed in school and also, retained a positive sense of self. Friendship loss and the reconstruction of self with others were significant facets of their new normal. The parents’ experience of supporting their child in school was characterised by managing, challenging and negotiating the new normal. They described how they took on many different roles when supporting their child: cheerleader, advocate, instigator, architect of the positive, fighter, protector and collaborator. The teachers’ experience of supporting an adolescent with ABI centred around the negotiation of the new normal. The culture of the school, input from rehabilitation services and supportive relationships with colleagues were all highlighted as being essential to the process. COVID-19 had the capacity to either positively or negatively affect the new normal, dependent on time since injury.

Conclusion: It is anticipated that the findings will contribute to practice in both educational psychology and education in how support is provided to this cohort of young people in the school setting. Identity and friendship loss featured hugely in the adolescents’ narratives and this has implications for the practice of educational psychologists. The findings emphasised the importance of involving adolescents with ABI in the negotiation of school supports and also, highlighted the complexity of adolescent friendships after ABI.