[Changes in social roles: a consequence of traumatic brain injury for the family caregiver]

The purpose was to study changes in the caregiver's social roles after traumatic brain injury (TBI), relating them with the degree of importance of these roles and with the condition of the victim six months or more after the TBI. The research was developed at the Brain Trauma Clinic of the University of São Paulo Hospital das Clínicas with 50 caregivers and 50 victims of TBI, by means of interviews and patient file analysis. A checklist was used for the interview with the caregiver, in order to identify the changes and importance of their social roles. The roles that had suffered most interruption due to the trauma were: friend, amateur/entertainment, family member and worker. The role of being a caregiver was the one that presented more modification. No association was found between change of role and the variables: condition of victim after TBI and importance of the social roles for the caregiver.