Predictors of family caregivers' life satisfaction after traumatic brain injury at one and two years post-injury: A longitudinal multi-center investigation

Issue title: International Perspectives on Caregiving

Guest editors: Juan Carlos Arango-Lasprilla and Jeffrey Kreutzer

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Livingston, Lee A.^a | Kennedy, Richard E.^b | Marwitz, Jennifer H.^{c; *} | Arango-Lasprilla, Juan C.^c | Rapport, Lisa J.^d | Bushnik, Tamara^e | Gary, Kelli W.^c

Affiliations: [a] Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA | [b] Department of Biostatistics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA | [c] Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA | [d] Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA | [e] Santa Clara Valley Medical Center & Rusk Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine, San Jose, CA, USA | Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Jennifer H. Marwitz, M.A., Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 980542, Richmond, VA 23298-0542, USA. Tel.: +1 804 828 3704; Fax: +1 804 828 2378, E-mail: jhmarwit@vcu.edu

Abstract: Objective:To determine predictors of family caregiver life satisfaction at one and two years after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods:Prospective collaborative longitudinal study of 336 family members caring for individuals with TBI participating in the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) designated TBI Model Systems of Care (TBIMS). Survivors’ medical and demographic information was obtained from the TBIMS database. Follow-up interviews were completed with both survivors and family caregivers at 1 year and 2 years post injury. The primary outcome variable, caregiver life satisfaction, was measured with the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Results:Repeated measures ordinal logistic regression showed that survivors’ functional status at discharge, drug use, and neurobehavioral problems were significant predictors of family caregivers’ life satisfaction at 1 and 2 years post injury. Conclusions:Family members of individuals with TBI often experience reduced life satisfaction in the first 2 years following their relatives’ TBI. Psychiatric and neurobehavioral problems, such as drug use and depression, as well as motor dysfunction in survivors may be important contributors to decreased life satisfaction among their caregivers.

Keywords: Traumatic brain injury, caregivers, life satisfaction, family functioning

DOI: 10.3233/NRE-2010-0582

Journal: NeuroRehabilitation, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 73-81, 2010