"<i>A massive burden off my shoulders</i>": participant experiences of a novel cyberscam psychosocial recovery intervention for people with acquired brain injury.

Abstract

Cyberscam survivors experience significant financial losses and devastating psychosocial consequences. Anyone can be scammed, but people with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) may be particularly vulnerable. <i>Smooth Sailing After Scams</i> is a novel co-designed 10-session cyberscam psychosocial intervention piloted with people with ABI who had been scammed. This study aimed to qualitatively explore participants' experiences of the program. Twenty-two adults (n_ABI=10, n_{close others}=8, n_clinicians=3) who participated in, or delivered the intervention completed one semi-structured interview <i>via</i> videoconferencing (<i>M_age</i>=54.7, <i>SD</i> = 17.5). Reflexive thematic analysis was used. Seven themes were generated, reflecting factors that supported intervention outcomes and participant experiences. "Intervention enablers" incorporated: 1) <i>"Sense of community";</i> 2) <i>"Therapeutic alliance";</i> and 3) <i>"Well-run and well-managed"</i>, "Therapeutic enhancers": 4) <i>"Increasing insight through the scam adjustment journey";</i> 5) <i>"It's brought us closer"</i>, "Positive outcomes": 6) <i>"I learnt how to stay safe online",</i> 7) <i>"I don't feel shame".</i> This novel cyberscam psychosocial adjustment intervention was perceived to support improvements in cybersafety, emotional and social wellbeing. Further refinement and empirical evaluation through a controlled trial are needed. This work contributes to the often-overlooked area of aftercare for the psychosocial impacts of scams, with particular attention to some of the most vulnerable in the community.