Brain Injury Team, Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, Gloucester, GL1 3NN United Kingdom.
Disabil Rehabil. 2011;33(3):243-52. doi: 10.3109/09638288.2010.511686. Epub 2010 Dec 20.
Touching others, particularly the opposite sex, is a relatively common and problematic behaviour evident in many people with traumatic brain injury (TBI), in particular males. Here, we analyse this behaviour in a man with TBI (Richard) who regularly engages in inappropriate touching of women. The article draws on video-recordings of two naturally occurring social interactions between Richard and Joan (one of his carers) to analyse all six instances within these interactions where Richard touches Joan.
The recordings were made by leaving a video-recorder in Richard's home where he is supported by members of a care team. The socio-linguistic method of conversation analysis was used to transcribe and analyse the data.
The analysis shows that each of the six instances of the touching behaviour occurred not as a random or isolated event in the interaction but rather in accompaniment with talk as part of a particular conversational action. Specifically, the conversational action in each case was produced in an emphatic or heightened style, with this style constituted by Richard touching Joan as well as by his use of a number of other resources such as eye gaze and the use of stress.
The analysis suggests that the touching behaviours in this case were linked not so much to physical opportunities (which were available through much of these interactions) but rather to what conversational action was being produced at that particular sequential context within the interaction. For example, several instances of touching occurred as part of emphatically produced conversational actions where a previous, non-emphatic, production of that action had not been accepted or responded to by Joan. Clinical implications, such as suggestions for prophylactic management on the part of those interacting with people with TBI, are discussed.
触摸他人，特别是异性，是许多创伤性脑损伤（TBI）患者中一种相对常见且成问题的行为，尤其是男性。在这里，我们分析了一名 TBI 患者（理查德）的这种行为，他经常对女性进行不当触摸。本文通过对理查德与琼（他的一名护理人员之一）之间两次自然发生的社交互动的视频记录，分析了这两次互动中理查德触摸琼的六次情况。
记录是在理查德家中进行的，当时他由一个护理团队的成员支持。使用会话分析的社会语言学方法对数据进行转录和分析。
分析表明，触摸行为的六次情况中的每一次都不是互动中随机或孤立的事件，而是伴随着谈话，作为特定会话动作的一部分。具体来说，在每种情况下，会话动作都是以强调或增强的风格产生的，这种风格不仅包括理查德触摸琼，还包括他使用其他一些资源，如目光接触和使用重音。
分析表明，这种情况下的触摸行为与其说是与物理机会（这些机会在这些互动中很常见）有关，不如说是与互动中特定顺序上下文内正在产生的会话动作有关。例如，几次触摸是在强调性产生的会话动作中发生的，而琼之前没有以强调性的方式接受或回应该动作。讨论了临床意义，例如对与 TBI 患者互动的人的预防性管理建议。
