Exploring individuals experiences of self compassion and coping with a brain injury

This thesis portfolio comprises three parts:Part One: Systematic Literature ReviewThe systematic literature review and thematic synthesis explored individual’s experience of coping with a brain injury. Five electronic databases were utilised to complete a systematic search. Nine studies were selected from this process and reviewed. Before thematic synthesis, a quality assessment tool (CASP-UK,2018) was utilised to evaluate the quality of each paper. Five themes were developed representing individual experiences of coping: Collaborative Support, Personal Growth Through Adversity, Acknowledgement and Validation and Acceptance of Significant Change. Problem-focused coping emerged as the most prevalent approach, often facilitating psychological adjustment and acceptance of the injury.Part Two: Empirical PaperThe empirical paper explored young people’s experience of self-compassion post-stroke. Interpretative phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was utilised to complete semi-structured interviews with seven participants. The three components of self-compassion have been applied as overarching themes to capture and present participant experiences: Self-Kindness versus Self-Judgment, Common Humanity versus Isolation and Mindfulness versus Overidentification. Together with the exploration of experiencing, compassion to self, compassion from others and compassion to others. Clinical implications and future research suggestions are discussed.Part Three comprises the Appendices.The appendices incorporate information and documents supporting the Systematic Literature Review and the Empirical study. They include the researcher’s reflections and epistemological statement along with author guidelines, ethical approval and procedural materials.