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YARNS study

Research into the lived experiences of young adults following stroke

In 2021 the University of Edinburgh conducted an exploratory study looking at how individuals under the age of 40 experienced care following a stroke. The study was supported by a grant from the RCN Foundation in partnership with SameYou, the brain injury charity.

The Young Adults Rehabilitation Needs and Experiences following Stroke (YARNS) study scoped the experiences of young adult stroke survivors (aged 18–40) with reference to their own stories, the published literature, and in relation to the formal and informal services available to support them.

The research team were able to:

  1. Identify and collate the existing narratives in the public domain drawn from internet sources, social media and blogs. To facilitate this work, the team created a framework for individuals to structure and record their own stories.

  2. Map the existing literature on the lived rehabilitation care of young adults (aged 18–40) following brain injury due to stroke.

  3. Map the scope of rehabilitation resources available to young stroke survivors in the UK. The team included formal, informal, community and third sector resources in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The findings of the YARNS study were published in October 2021, and featured in the Journal of Advanced Nursing (JAN) in March 2022. The study can be read in full on the Wiley Online Library.

The infographic below illustrates the type of journey that young adult stroke survivors reported back to the research team.

yarns infographic