Monash Epworth Rehabilitation Research Centre

Prevalence and clinical significance of sensory changes after moderate-severe traumatic brain injury: A cross-sectional study Sensory changes are commonly observed in individuals with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (msTBI) but remain under-researched.This study examin…

Our study on the prevalence and clinical significance of sensory changes following TBI (n=387) is now published open-access in Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine.
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www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

@merrcresearch.bsky.social

Interested in dating after a brain injury, or supporting clients with ABI and dating?

We are seeking people with ABI and ABI clinicians to take part in one-on-one interviews to understand your experiences dating with an ABI, or supporting clients with ABI in their dating goals.
Contact us below!

Clinician perspectives on cognitive behavioral therapy and health education for sleep disturbance and fatigue after acquired brain injury: A qualitative study - PubMed Sleep disturbance and fatigue are persistent, clinically significant problems for many with acquired brain injury (ABI). A recent randomized controlled trial (RCT) demonstrated that cognitive and beha...

The findings reinforce the value of psychoeducation and cognitive–behavioral strategies for managing sleep and fatigue problems after ABI. They also provide valuable insights to guide the translation of CBT-SF from an RCT to real-world clinical practice.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40193441/

One-on-one interviews generated seven themes encompassing client-related factors, clinician-related factors that influenced treatment delivery , as well as other themes directly related to treatment delivery itself.

@jaicarmichael.bsky.social, Lucy Ymer and @Jennie Ponsford's work aimed to qualitatively explore the perspectives of the six clinical neuropsychologists, who delivered the cognitive and behavioural therapy tailored for post-ABI sleep and fatigue (CBT-SF) and Health Education interventions.

This week’s paper spotlight explores clinician perspectives on cognitive behavioral therapy and health education for sleep disturbance and fatigue after acquired brain injury.

Have you checked out our new paper exploring suicidality and self harm among individuals with moderate to severe Traumatic Brain Injury?

Read it below!

I had the privilege of speaking with 20 people with ABI about their experiences of psychological treatment for sleep & fatigue. Their accounts help us understand how psychology can help & what to consider going forward.

Open access: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

@merrcresearch.bsky.social

A Transdiagnostic, Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology Following Traumatic Brain Injury (HiTOP-TBI) | Journal of Neurotrauma Psychopathology, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress, is a significant yet inadequately addressed feature of moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Progress in understanding and treating post-TBI psychopathology may be hindered by limitations associated with conventional diagnostic approaches, specifically the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD). The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) offers a promising, transdiagnostic alternative to psychiatric classification that may more effectively capture the experiences of individuals with TBI. However, HiTOP lacks validation in the TBI population. To address this gap, we administered a comprehensive questionnaire battery, including 56 scales assessing homogeneous symptom components and maladaptive traits within HiTOP, to 410 individuals with moderate-severe TBI. We evaluated the reliability and unidimensionality of each scale and revised those with psychometric problems. Using a top-down, exploratory latent variable approach (bass-ackwards modeling), we subsequently constructed a hierarchical model of psychopathological dimensions tailored to TBI. The results showed that, relative to norms, participants with moderate-severe TBI experienced greater problems in the established HiTOP internalizing and detachment spectra, but fewer problems with thought disorder and antagonism. Fourteen of the 56 scales demonstrated psychometric problems, which often appeared reflective of the TBI experience and associated disability. The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology Following Traumatic Brain Injury (HiTOP-TBI) model encompassed broad internalizing and externalizing spectra, splitting into seven narrower dimensions: Detachment, Dysregulated Negative Emotionality, Somatic Symptoms, Compensatory and Phobic Reactions, Self-Harm and Psychoticism, Rigid Constraint, and Harmful Substance Use. This study presents the most comprehensive empirical classification of psychopathology after TBI to date. It introduces a novel, TBI-specific transdiagnostic questionnaire battery and model, which addresses the limitations of conventional DSM and ICD diagnoses. The empirical structure of psychopathology after TBI largely aligned with the established HiTOP model (e.g., a detachment spectrum). However, these constructs need to be interpreted in relation to the unique experiences associated with TBI (e.g., considering the injury’s impact on the person’s social functioning). By overcoming the limitations of conventional diagnostic approaches, the HiTOP-TBI model has the potential to accelerate our understanding of the causes, correlates, consequences, and treatment of psychopathology after TBI.

Find out more here: liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/...

#BrainTraumaResearch #TraumaticBrainInjury #MERRCResearch

This study presents the most comprehensive empirical classification of psychopathology after TBI to date. It introduces a novel, TBI-specific transdiagnostic questionnaire battery and model, which addresses the limitations of conventional DSM and ICD diagnoses.

This week's paper spotlight looks at a A Transdiagnostic, Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology Following Traumatic Brain Injury (HiTOP-TBI).

Paper Spotlight 📢
This weeks paper spotlight is 'Co-designing for behavioural change: understanding barriers and enablers to addressing sexuality after traumatic brain injury and mapping intervention strategies in a multi-disciplinary rehabilitation unit' 🧠

We are excited to announce that @jaicarmichael.bsky.social has been awarded the Rising Star Program for Brain Injury and Rehabilitation 🧠
The program is designed to support talented early-career researchers in accelerating their research trajectories as emerging leaders in their field👏

Hi everyone - it is lovely to join Bluesky!
We at Monash Epworth Rehabilitation Research Centre (MERRC) conduct research to maximise functional, psychological, and social outcomes following brain injury. More information at our website: www.monash.edu/medicine/psy...
#TBI #braininjury #neuropsych

#HiSciSky 🦋,
I’m a recent PhD grad, brain injury researcher, & neuropsychology registrar. Right now, my main research projects aim to develop a brain injury-tailored measure of mental health & supports for self-injury. Clinically, I’m interested in psychiatric disorders, dementia, & their overlap.