PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT This F31 proposal details a 3-year research and training plan that will launch the applicant’s career as an independent clinical investigator focused on mind-body and peer support intervention development to promote whole person health in patients with critical illnesses and their family members. The overarching scientific goal is to lay the foundation for the development of a mind-body peer support intervention for caregivers to patients with severe acute brain injury (SABI) by conducting preliminary quantitative and qualitative work and adapting existing interventions with stakeholder-engaged methods. Family caregivers to patients with SABI are at risk for chronic emotional distress, yet no tailored, efficacious interventions exist to promote their mental and physical wellbeing. Prior research suggests that mind-body skills (e.g., mindfulness, coping) can prevent chronic distress and promote wellbeing in caregivers in line with a biopsychosocial model of health. A peer-to-peer support model is an ideal approach to deliver mind-body skills to SABI caregivers for 3 key reasons: 1) peer support interventions capitalize on the value of social support to buffer against stress in caregivers, consistent with the Stress Buffering Hypothesis; 2) peer support interventions can powerfully spur health behavior change as explained by Dynamic Social Impact Theory; and 3) peer support interventions are more cost-effective, scalable, and appropriate for lower-resource settings than clinician-delivered interventions. An understanding of the support needs and perceptions of peer support among SABI caregivers is needed to inform the adaptation of a tailored mind-body peer support intervention. Informed by the intervention mapping framework, this study aims to 1) Investigate the association between availability of social support (Aim 1a) and satisfaction with social support (Aim 1b) and emotional distress over time in SABI caregivers using existing co-sponsor datasets (quantitative analyses; Aim 1); 2) Explore SABI caregiver perspectives on a mind-body peer support intervention through individual interviews (qualitative interviews; Aim 2); and 3) Engage SABI caregivers in facilitated workshop to co-develop the mind-body peer support intervention manual (stakeholder-engaged intervention design; Aim 3). Through these aims, the applicant will receive training in mind-body and peer support interventions, quantitative methods, advanced qualitative methods, and equity-centered stakeholder engagement methods. The applicant’s training goals are supported by dedicated sponsors and collaborators with complementary expertise. This F31 will equip the applicant with the necessary training and preliminary data for future work towards the goal of supporting SABI caregivers, including a K23 to refine the proposed intervention and evaluate feasibility in an open pilot with exit interviews and randomized controlled trial. This F31 aligns with NCCIH’s strate...