Affiliations: [a] Department of Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA
| [b] Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| [c]
Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: Nicole Ditchman, PhD, CRC, LCPC, Department of Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3105 South Dearborn, Rm 292, Chicago, IL 60616, USA. Tel.: +1 312 567 3511; Fax: +1 312 567 3493; E-mail: nditchma@iit.edu.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Although the negative impact of symptom severity on subjective well-being outcomes has been established among individuals with brain injury, the mediating and protective role that positive human traits might have on this relationship has not been adequately explored. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of social self-efficacy and disability acceptance on the relationship between symptom severity and life satisfaction among individuals with brain injury. METHODS: Hierarchical regression analysis and correlation techniques were used to test a hypothesized dual-mediation model of life satisfaction in a sample of 105 adults with acquired brain injury. RESULTS: Results indicated that social self-efficacy and disability acceptance fully mediated the relationship between symptom severity and life satisfaction, lending support for a dual-mediation model with disability acceptance being the strongest contributor. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest there may be considerable value for rehabilitation providers to develop strengths-based service strategies and/or specialized intervention programs that focus on capitalizing these positive human traits to promote life satisfaction and well-being for clients with brain injury. Implications for clinical practice and future research direction are also discussed.
Keywords: Brain injury, self-efficacy, positive psychology, disability acceptance, life satisfaction, quality of life
