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“This is a lifesaver”: co-designing a novel cyberscam psychosocial recovery intervention framework for people with acquired brain injury

Chew, Kimberly Ann ; Ponsford, Jennie Louise ; Gould, Kate Rachel (2025) — Disability and Rehabilitation

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DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2025.2457511 (opens in a new tab)

Type:   Journal Article
Country:   Australia
Tags:   Acquired Brain Injury, Co Design, Cybersafety, Cyberscam, Cyberscams, Disability, Intervention Framework, Psychosocial Adjustment, Psychosocial Recovery, Qualitative Research, Recovery Intervention, Scam Victimisation
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Synopsis

            
This project co-designed the "Smooth Sailing After Scams" psychosocial intervention framework with 15 stakeholders: five adults with acquired brain injury, three close others, and seven clinicians or service providers. Eight 2.5-hour hybrid focus groups developed content, measures, and sustainability plans; additional clinician meetings refined materials, and 14 interviews explored the co-design experience. The resulting flexible framework addresses cybersafety and adjustment to financial, emotional, relationship, and lifestyle impacts. Participants also described shared experience as validating and less isolating. The study establishes a structured intervention concept, not treatment efficacy: no pilot outcome is reported. All clinicians were women, prior researcher relationships and researcher participation may bias feedback, and the process was time-intensive.

          

        
                  

            
Identified Gaps

            
No tailored cyberscam psychosocial recovery treatments for people with acquired brain injury (ABI) were identified. The authors state that no interventions support post-scam psychosocial adjustment for either the general population or people with ABI. ABI cyberscam/online-safety research was limited to two Australian research groups, indicating a narrow evidence base and need for tailored post-scam support.

          

        
                  

            
Methods

            
Using Knowledge-to-Action and Experience-Based Co-Design frameworks, 15 stakeholders—five adults with ABI, three close others, and seven clinicians/service providers—took part in eight hybrid 2.5-hour focus groups to co-design content, measures and sustainability plans. Clinicians attended eight further meetings to refine materials. Fourteen semi-structured interviews examined co-design experiences; transcripts underwent inductive reflexive thematic analysis, with author review and theme refinement. The output was the flexible “Smooth Sailing After Scams” psychosocial intervention framework.

          

        
                  

            
Limitations

            
All clinician participants were female. The co-design process was time-intensive for some participants. Pre-existing interviewer–participant relationships may have encouraged positive feedback, although rapport may also have supported openness. A facilitator-participant was involved in thematic analysis, creating potential interpretive bias despite independent monitoring, repeated transcript checks and reflexive procedures. Finally, effectiveness of the framework has not yet been established.

          

        
                  

            
Future Work

            
Pilot the co-designed framework to assess feasibility and initial efficacy. Evaluate whether it improves psychosocial adjustment after cyberscams for people with ABI and consider implementation, uptake, adaptation and success across settings with differing ABI awareness, expectations and service availability. Future intervention-development projects may replicate the reported co-design methods.

          

              

    
    

        
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