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Evaluating the VaLiANT (Valued Living After Neurological Trauma) group intervention for improving adjustment to life with acquired brain injury : a pilot randomized controlled trial
Abstract
There is a need for accessible rehabilitation that promotes meaningful participation, wellbeing, and adjustment to life with acquired brain injury (ABI). VaLiANT (Valued Living After Neurological Trauma) is an 8-week holistic group intervention that integrates Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and cognitive rehabilitation techniques to support adjustment and meaningful reengagement in life. This Phase II pilot randomized controlled trial explored feasibility and preliminary efficacy signals to determine the viability of a larger trial. Adults (>3 months post-ABI) were randomly allocated to VaLiANT plus treatment-as-usual (TAU), or TAU waitlist-control, with assessments at baseline, post-intervention (8 weeks), and follow-up (16 weeks). Feasibility criteria included recruitment, dropout, outcome assessment completion, adherence, and delivery fidelity. Preliminary treatment effects were assessed on a range of adjustment-related outcomes using mixed linear models, proportions of reliable change, and minimal clinically important differences. 54 participants were recruited (M(age )= 50.6, M(years-post-injury) = 5.4) predominately with stroke (52%) and traumatic brain injury (22%). All feasibility criteria were met. Treatment effects were identified on measures of psychological distress, experiential avoidance, valued living, and self-identity, but not meaningful participation, quality-of-life, or wellbeing. A larger trial is viable but VaLiANT will benefit from refinement first to improve its impact on all intended outcomes.Trial registration: ACTRN12619001243101.
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Date
2025
Type
Article
Subject
Acceptance and commitment therapy, Stroke, Neurological rehabilitation, Brain
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Citation
Sathananthan, N., Morris, E. M. J., das Nair, R., Gillanders, D., Wright, B. & Wong, D. (2025). Evaluating the VaLiANT (Valued Living After Neurological Trauma) group intervention for improving adjustment to life with acquired brain injury : a pilot randomized controlled trial. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, DOI: 10.1080/09602011.2025.2476074.
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Publisher
Taylor and Francis
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Publisher’s statement
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives
License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduc tion in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The
terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.