NCT03636399

Group Based Treatment for Persons With Social Communication Difficulties

Group Based Treatment for Persons With Social Communication Difficulties: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 49 (actual)
• Sponsor: Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 75 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

A large proportion of patients with ABI have cognitive deficits that affect the way they communicate. Cognitive difficulties with attention, memory, executive functions and so on affect social communication. Without successful social skills, a person may engage in conflicts, become isolated and be denied access to social and vocational opportunities. Internationally, several group interventions have been developed for treating social communication difficulties during the last years. Group Interactive Structured Treatment (GIST) is a validated holistic multidisciplinary group treatment targeting social communication skills after traumatic brain injury. The main aim of the present study is to examine the efficacy of GIST for improving social communication in persons with acquired brain injury, including TBI, stroke, tumor ect. Secondary the study aims to compare the standard GIST protocol to an newly developed intensive GIST protocol. Efficacy will be assessed immediately after intervention, but also three and six months after the intervention. The project is in line with international research efforts aimed to establish more knowledge about group treatment for persons with social communication disorders after ABI.

Conditions

• Brain Injuries

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Standard GIST	13 group modules will be administered to outpatients in 12 x 2,5-3 hours sessions. Manualized intervention; In every group session a new topic is presented, discussed and practiced in group exercises. Homework assignments between sessions.
BEHAVIORAL	Intensive GIST	13 group modules will be administered to inpatients during 4 weeks in hospital. Participants is admitted to a hospital unit for cognitive rehabilitation treating patients in acute and/or cronic phase. The participants are given extended leave every weekend to work on homework Assignments between each treatment week.

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-09-01
• Primary completion: 2020-06-16
• Completion: 2020-06-16
• First posted: 2018-08-17
• Last updated: 2021-08-19

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Norway