Life satisfaction related to work re-entry after brain injury: a longitudinal study

The aim of this study was to assess the subjective life satisfaction after brain injury and its relation to work re-entry.

The research design was a longitudinal study. Thirty-six individuals answered a questionnaire at 3 and 6 years after admittance to a rehabilitation programme. The questionnaire addressed work status, job satisfaction, subjective symptoms of illness and life satisfaction.

The reported life satisfaction both for life as a whole and for different domains of life was low. No significant difference between follow-ups was found for satisfaction with life as a whole. For the domain IADL activities, the subjects reported a statistically significant lower satisfaction at the second follow-up than at the first. No correlation between work status and subjective satisfaction with life as a whole was found in this population. At the second follow-up, significantly more people were satisfied with IADL in the group that had returned to work.

The results from this study indicate that brain injury has a lasting effect on a person's life also many years after onset. The decreasing satisfaction with the ability to perform IADL-activities in along-term perspective should give implications for clinical practice. More research in this area is needed.