Factors that lead to successful community integration following severe traumatic brain injury

To assess and identify predictive factors of community integration of people 3 to 15 years after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Forty participants with severe TBI (an average of 8.8 years postinjury).

The Community Integration Questionnaire, the Community Integration Measure, and the Sydney Psychosocial Reintegration Scale. Data related to factors that may predict community integration were also collected.

There was considerable variation in the level of community integration. Discriminant function analyses identified the following factors as predictive of the level of community integration: severity of injury, age at the time of injury, level of disability, and challenging behavior.

Interventions that minimize challenging behavior and disability may make a significant difference to the level of community integration experienced by people with severe TBI.