Psychosocial outcome and family burden after traumatic brain injury

Abstract

The persistence of psychosocial symptoms after severe head injury has been identified as one of the main long-term difficulties facing such patients and their families. Not only have such problems proved persistent, they have been found to present particular problems for community re-entry including return to work. They have been associated in particular with stress on carers and also with disruption of family activities and health. Given that so many survivors of severe head injury rely on their families for long-term support, this topic has attracted increasing attention. The present study described the psychosocial problems after severe head injury and their relationship to various "burdens" on carers and the wider family based on a group of 54 patients studied at 3, 6, and 12 months post-injury. Replication and extension of some findings is made through study of a multi-centre internationally collected group of 562 survivors of severe head injury. Thepersistence of psychosocial problems is noted alongside their differing relationships to various aspects of "burden". Aspects of burden, and especially of social isolation, present challenges especially for those working in rehabilitation and community re-entry programme