Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences

Social intervention to increase community connectedness and reduce psychological distress in adults with acquired brain injury

  1. Home
  2. Research
  3. Volunteer for a research study

GROUPS 4 HEALTH (G4H) is program that was developed by researchers at UQ, aimed at helping people to better understand their social relationships and to build people’s social connectedness with their community in periods of vulnerability.

It is an evidence-based program that has been tested and found to improve people’s well-being.

The purpose of this study is to see whether this existing program can be adapted for people who have had an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) and whether the program is of value in this group of individuals. This is a feasibility and proof-of-concept study, which means that it is the first time this intervention is being delivered to people with ABI and we would like to know if it is an appealing intervention, if there are any modifications that need to be made to the program, and whether it has a positive impact on the wellbeing of participants.

Everyone who consents to take part will undergo this program in a group of 4 to 8 people who all have sustained brain injuries. The program will be delivered in-person at UQ. Participants will be asked to complete questionnaires before, during, and after the program. The G4H program consists of 6 x 2-hour group sessions, all aimed at helping participants learn skills that will help strengthen and make the most of the social relationships they value and to develop new relationships to build their social network.

Eligibility 

Inclusion criteria:

  • Adults aged 18-80
  • Have had an acquired brain injury (e.g., traumatic brain injury, stroke, hypoxia, infection, stable or benign brain tumour)

Exclusion criteria:

  • Neurodegenerative conditions (e.g., active brain tumours, dementia, multiple sclerosis)
  • Medically unstable
  • Significant language impairment that would impact their ability to consent and participate
  • Insufficient English language to complete assessment and intervention
  • Severe cognitive impairment (e.g., memory, language, executive dysfunction) that would impact their ability to consent and participate in the program

Register your interest

Please contact Hannah McGlashan via email to register for the study: h.mcglashan@student.uq.edu.au

This study has been approved by The University of Queensland Human Research Ethics Committee [Approval No.2025/HE000719]