Clinics and Practice (Mar 2023)

Psycho-Emotional Well-Being in Caregivers of People with Acquired Brain Injury: An Exploratory Study on the Human Immersion Model during the Omicron Wave

  • Rosaria De Luca,
  • Patrizia Pollicino,
  • Carmela Rifici,
  • Natale Mondo,
  • Stefania Iorio,
  • Angela Cassaniti,
  • Donatella Ferrara,
  • Angelo Caminiti,
  • Fausto Famà,
  • Mirjam Bonanno,
  • Rocco Salvatore Calabrò

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/clinpract13020044
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13, no. 2
pp. 487 – 496

Abstract

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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a “human immersion model” (HIM) in improving psychological well-being in caregivers of patients with acquired brain injury (ABI) during the Omicron wave in Italy. Fifteen subjects affected by ABI, who attended our intensive neurorehabilitation unit from January to March 2022 and their caregivers were submitted to the HIM. This novel approach consisted of “real” long-lasting meetings between the patients and their careers in a hospital setting (1–72 h meeting per week for 8 weeks). Each ABI caregiver was assessed through the administration of a short psychometric battery before starting the first immersion session with their family member and at the end of the HIM. We found significant changes in the caregivers’ scores analyzed for anxiety, as per SAS (p p p < 0.0007, d = 0.82). Our data suggest that the HIM may be useful to promote ABI caregivers’ psycho-emotional well-being in the context of critical periods such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

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