Understanding social disinhibition in acquired brain injury: drawing upon first person experiences

Social disinhibition, the inability to behave in a manner consistent with social "rules" and norms, is one of the most commonly reported outcomes following brain injury. The experience of social disinhibition from the perspective of those with lived experience, however, remains poorly understood. The purpose of this study therefore was to increase understanding of how social disinhibition presents among those with a brain injury and how this might differ from the perspective of carers.

Fourteen participants (nine acquired brain injury, five primary carers) aged 18 years and older participated in a 45-60-minute semi-structured interview. All interviews were thematically and inductively analysed using NVivo.

Among participants with an acquired brain injury, four superordinate themes were generated, namely, "types of behaviour," "factors contributing to behaviour," "consequences of behaviour," and "insight." Four superordinate themes were also generated among carers and included "types of behaviour," "factors contributing to behaviour," "social environment" and "insight."

The results of the current study highlight the complexity of socially disinhibited behaviours and the importance of developing appropriate, targeted treatment approaches.