Social and psychological influences on satisfaction with life after brain injury.

BACKGROUND: In spite of the increased focus of education and awareness programs on prevention and safety surrounding Acquired Brain Injury (ABI), over 50,000 Canadians and 900,000 Americans sustain a brain injury every year. Given the psychological impact of an ABI, there is a growing body of literature examining the links between injury, mental health, and life satisfaction in brain injury survivors; specifically, changes in leisure activities, employment, and the struggles with injury related deficits contribute to increased social isolation, depression, and loneliness.

OBJECTIVES: The current study examined personality characteristics, unmet needs, and psychosocial risk factors in survivors of brain injuries.

METHODS: In this cross-sectional online study, 592 brain injury survivors completed questionnaires to assess psychological variables associated with their current life situation.

RESULTS: We found high levels of depression among survivors, with 47.6% of participants reporting moderate or severe levels of depression and 41.2% reporting suicidal ideation. Although survivors reported lower life satisfaction than population norms, satisfaction was only slightly lower in those with a recent (less than two years) injury. Overall, regression models accounted for 50.1% of the variability in satisfaction with life. Increased engagement in leisure activities, higher emotional stability (p < .001) and sociability (p < .01) coupled with lower depression (p < .001) and romantic loneliness (p < .001) significantly predicted satisfaction with life.

CONCLUSIONS: These results could aid in the development of policies and procedures surrounding the discharge of patients that includes a plan for increasing social leisure activities within the community and providing ongoing support for survivors when formal rehabilitation ceases.