Building resilience among families supporting relatives with ABI in rural NSW: testing the feasibility of telephone delivery of Strength2Strength program.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Strength2Strength (S2S) is a group psychoeducational program aiming to build resilience among families supporting relatives after traumatic injury. OBJECTIVE: To test the feasibility, acceptability and outcomes of teleconference delivery of a 5 hour S2S program in rural New South Wales. METHODS: A mixed methods design investigated the (i) convenience of telephone-based delivery; and (ii) acceptability of the program material (purpose-designed survey and the Narrative Evaluation of Intervention Interview). Program efficacy was measured with the Resilience Scale (RS) and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC); the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS); Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 (DASS-21); Carer Assessment of Managing Index (CAMI); and Caregiver Burden Scale (CBS). Participant outcome data were collected at baseline, post program and 3 months follow-up. RESULTS: 11 participants supporting adult relatives with severe brain injury completed the program. All participants and facilitators commented positively about the cost, ease of use and quality of the teleconference facility. Statistically significant gains were found between pre-program and follow-up scores on the RS, CD-RISC, PANAS-Positive, and CAMI, with statistically significant reductions found on the DASS-21 Depression Scale and CBS scores. CONCLUSION: The study provides preliminary evidence for the efficacy of telephone-based delivery of S2S to family participants.