Sensory hypersensitivity (SHS) is a frequently heard complaint after acquired brain injury (ABI) and is related to reduced quality of life and physical and mental health. This study aimed to identify triggers for SHS after ABI and investigate how individuals cope with SHS. Nineteen adults with ABI took part in 45-min individual interviews. Data were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Inductive thematic analysis revealed five themes: (1) A mismatch between resources and demands, (2) Altered experience of ordinary stimuli, (3) It affects all aspects of living, (4) Avoid, approach, accept, (5) It's highly heterogeneous. A model explaining the impact of triggers on subjective SHS after ABI is proposed, which states that SHS arises from a mismatch between the demands of a sensory environment (triggers) and the available biopsychosocial resources of an individual to meet these demands. The elicited SHS can affect and be affected by levels of fatigue, which limits the resources and creates a loop. Coping strategies can act on various stages of this model, i.e., to reduce the mismatch and potentially alter the loop. This model can contribute to the identification of mechanisms behind SHS in ABI patients and other populations, ultimately leading to evidence-based treatments.
Keywords: Sensory hypersensitivity; acquired brain injury; sensory overload; stroke; traumatic brain injury.