Abstract
M.A. (Counselling Psychology)
This minor-dissertation explores caregivers’ experiences during the process of
recovery and adjustment following a family member acquiring a traumatic brain
injury. Blogs were utilised to gain insight into the caregivers’ experiences as a
firsthand account of their lived experiences. Critical case sampling was used to
source the long-term blogs of the authors detailing their experiences of caregiving.
The sample comprised of three women: two spouses and a daughter of an injured
family member. Archival data was sourced from a TBI website aimed at providing
information, support and advocacy to caregivers and survivors of TBI. To explore
caregiving, a literature review on TBI and caregiving was compiled, detailing the
impact of TBI and trauma on families and caregivers. Further research was
conducted regarding the use of writing following trauma, given the caregivers’
interest in blogging and writing. The methodology approach was qualitative in nature,
with the blog posts analysed from an interpretivist-constructivist paradigm to gain an
understanding of the lived experiences of the caregivers. Thematic analysis was
used to extract information from the blog posts to discover common themes and
highlight differences. Several common themes were identified across the data sets
and discussed in relation to the literature review. The themes that emerged include:
TBI as a life-changing event, coping with significant changes and gaining new
perspectives about life. The findings portray the lived experiences of the caregivers in
the context of recovery, rehabilitation, and adjustment to TBI in their personal, family,
and social contexts.