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The Development of Self-Awareness and Relationship to Emotional Functioning During Early Community Reintegration After Traumatic Brain Injury

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Jennifer M. Fleming ,
Heidi T. Winnington ,
Azaria J. McGillivray ,
Boyana Ana Tatarevic  and
Tamara L. Ownsworth
Jennifer M. Fleming*
Affiliation:
The University of Queensland and Occupational Therapy Department, Princess Alexandra Hospital. [email protected]
Heidi T. Winnington
Affiliation:
Occupational Therapy Department, Princess Alexandra Hospital.
Azaria J. McGillivray
Affiliation:
Occupational Therapy Department, Princess Alexandra Hospital.
Boyana Ana Tatarevic
Affiliation:
Occupational Therapy Department, Princess Alexandra Hospital.
Tamara L. Ownsworth
Affiliation:
Occupational Therapy Department, Princess Alexandra Hospital.
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr J. Fleming, Senior Research Fellow, Division of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, QLD 4072.
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Abstract

Impaired self-awareness may affect clients' emotional status, engagement in rehabilitation and community reintegration following traumatic brain injury (TBI). The study aimed to investigate the relationship between self-awareness, emotional distress and community integration in adults with TBI during the transition from hospital to the community. Thirty-four rehabilitation clients with TBI were assessed in the week before and 2 months after discharge home. Measures of self-awareness and emotional functioning were administered predischarge and repeated at follow-up along with a measure of community integration. Nonparametric tests were used to compare levels of self-awareness and emotional distress pre- and postdischarge, their interrelationships and association with community integration. Self-awareness significantly increased following discharge, and a trend towards increased depression was found. There were no consistent relationships found between level of self-awareness, emotional functioning, and community integration. The development of self-awareness in the immediate postdischarge phase suggests this is an important time for clinical interventions targeting compensation strategies and adjustment to disability.

Type
Articles
Information
Brain Impairment , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , 01 September 2006 , pp. 83 - 94
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006

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