SSCR PhD Student
cmandrews1@sheffield.ac.uk
Craig’s career to date: I studied an integrated Master’s degree in Psychology with Clinical Psychology (Hons) at the University of Plymouth. For my Master’s thesis, I carried out a systematic review on the support and information needs of ABI family members. This review highlighted how current post-ABI care often fails to support families, with vital gaps in access to information, social support, and personal wellbeing. My PhD Studentship will now identify the unmet needs of ABI carers and co-design support resources to address these needs.
Host university: University of Sheffield
Project title: Understanding and Meeting the Support Needs of Unpaid Carers (Family and Friends) of Acquired Brain Injury Survivors
Project summary: I will establish a comprehensive understanding of ABI caregiver’s lived experiences, challenges, and specific support needs, alongside an evaluation of existing support programmes to discover where failures in provision occur. This will then be used to collaboratively co-design new, practical support resources with ABI caregivers, leading academics, and healthcare professionals, to directly address gaps during post-ABI care, improving the long-term quality of life for caregivers navigating their lives following an ABI.
Anticipated completion date: April 2029
PhD supervisors: Professor Nathan Hughes and Professor Fiona Lecky
