Re-conceptualizing youth concussion recovery: A virtual multimedia storytelling project

Youth concussion rates are rising across Canada. In response, efforts are being made to enable the recovery of injured youth. However, little is known about what recovery ‘is’ (how youth understand their own recovery, what constitutes a ‘good’ recovery). This omission represents a major gap in knowledge of youth concussion. This research project will partner with youth who have experienced concussion as ‘storytellers’, to (1) investigate, challenge, and transform conventional ways of thinking about youth concussion, and (2) refine a virtual method for research with this group. Using multimedia storytelling and interviewing methods, this study will engage 8-10 storytellers (15-24 years), generating much-needed knowledge about the relation between how they perceive recovery and existing narrow conceptualizations of concussion recovery (eg, symptom-based understandings). The knowledge generated through this study is expected to contribute to a more nuanced and complex understanding of youth concussion recovery. Outputs include 8-10 multimedia stories of recovery produced by storytellers, scholarly publications and presentations, and an end-of-project video summarizing key findings and implications, to be shared with target audiences (eg, clinicians, teachers) through video screenings hosted at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.

Faculty Supervisor:

Gail Teachman

Student:

Partner:

Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Retail trade

University:

The University of Western Ontario

Program: