"I've learned to sift it": a qualitative exploration of participant experiences of the SIFT IT social cognition group treatment program for people with acquired brain injury.

Abstract

Few evidence-based treatment options are available for people living with acquired brain injury (ABI) experiencing social cognitive processing difficulties. The SIFT IT group treatment program is a novel intervention developed to comprehensively target social cognitive skills in this population. This paper explored the experiences of participants who completed the SIFT IT program within a broader feasibility randomised controlled trial. Fifteen people with ABI were recruited and participated in the SIFT IT program. The SIFT IT program consisted of 14 weekly 90-minute small group sessions facilitated by a clinical psychologist with five modules targeting social cognition processes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 participants post-treatment. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. The five main themes identified in the analysis were: (1) social cognitive processing changes; (2) impacts of change; (3) valuable program components; (4) biopsychosocial influences; and (5) moving forward. Targeting social cognitive skills in a group treatment format for people living with ABI was largely seen as acceptable and of benefit to these individuals. This reinforces the clinical need for rehabilitation providers to identify, and treat, those with social cognitive difficulties.