Background and aims: The ‘transition’ phase from hospital to home following brain injury is well established as a critical period of adjustment for individuals and their families. There is, however, a lack of knowledge about the experience of transition following nontraumatic brain injury (e.g., stroke, aneurysm) for individuals of working age. The purpose of this study was to explore the transition experiences of individuals with nontraumatic brain injury using mixed methods approach.

Methods: Six individuals with nontraumatic brain injury were recruited from a larger study using maximum variation sampling criteria. Individuals participated in semistructured interviews at 6-months postdischarge and completed quantitative measures of psychosocial outcomes predischarge and at 6-months postdischarge. Results: Qualitative content analysis of interviews identified three themes: (1) changes in role performance, (2) support and services and (3) coping with life after brain injury. The transition experience was characterised by loss of valued roles including driving and work, identified as major barriers to regaining independence postdischarge. Informal support provided by family and friends were relied on, while formal supports were accessed infrequently. Life post-injury presented a number of challenges including adjusting to changes in physical and cognitive abilities and a fear of reinjury. Qualitative data were supported by an overall trend of improved functioning on the quantitative measures over the 6 months.

Conclusions: Key life circumstances of working age adults with nontraumatic brain injury influence the transition experience. Clinically, the findings support the need for individualised, structured transition services pre- and postdischarge for this group.

Objective: To expand upon the existing psychometric properties of the Comprehensive Assessment of Prospective Memory (CAPM) for use with adults with traumatic brain injury by examining concurrent and criterion validity. Method: Participants were 45 adults with a traumatic brain injury. Participants and their relatives completed Section A of the CAPM and a measure of psychosocial integration. Participants were also administered two neuropsychological tests of prospective memory, the Cambridge Prospective Memory Test (CAM-PROMPT) and the Memory Intentions Screening Test (MIST). Concurrent validity was measured by comparing scores on the CAPM with scores on the CAM-PROMPT and MIST. Criterion validity was examined by correlating CAPM scores with level of psychosocial integration. Results: Participant self-reports on the CAPM were not significantly correlated with the CAM-PROMPT or MIST, but were significantly correlated with level of psychosocial integration. Relative reports on the CAPM were correlated significantly with total score on the MIST and CAM-PROMPT and level of psychological integration. Conclusions: The findings indicate that the concurrent validity of the self-report version of CAPM is low suggesting that self-reports alone do not provide an objective measure for assessing prospective memory function. The relative report version however, demonstrated reasonable concurrent and criterion validity, suggesting that the relative report version of the Section A of the CAPM is a useful means of evaluating frequency of prospective memory failure in adults with traumatic brain injury.