Authors
Silje Merethe Hansen Ingebretsen, Jan Stubberud og Melanie Kirmess.
Abstract
Objective: To examine family members/friends’ perception of change following standard and intensive group interactive structured treatment (GIST) for persons with social communication difficulties (SCDs).
Methods: A parallel mixed methods design combining data from questionnaires, the Goal Attainment Scale, and interviews.
Participants: Forty-nine adult (>18 years) family members/friends (69.4% female) of persons with SCDs and acquired brain injury (ABI) (cohabitating partner, 53.1%; other relatives, 30.6%; friends, 16.3%).Intervention: Standard GIST consisted of 12 weekly outpatient sessions (2.5 h). Intensive GIST consisted of 4 weeks of inpatient rehabilitation (2 × 3 days/week, 2 × 4 days/week). Both treatments included 3- and 6-month follow-ups.
Main outcome measures: Quantitative measures (n = 49) included the following informant reports: Latrobe Communication Questionnaire (LCQ), Social Communication Skills Questionnaire-Adapted (SCSQ-A), Behavior Rating Inventory for Executive Functions-Adult version (BRIEF-A), and Goal Attainment Scale. The qualitative measure (n=9) was an interview performed at 6-month follow-up.
Results: Converging results were found, suggesting a perceived positive change over time for both standard and intensive GIST, with no substantial differences reported between the treatments.
Conclusions: Family members/friends reported improved social communication skills of the persons with SCDs following standard and intensive GIST. However, the integration of data showed the complex-ity of assessing SCDs and the need for further investigation.