Women's Gendered Experiences of Traumatic Brain Injury

Despite recognizing that women have worse outcomes after traumatic brain injury (TBI), little is known about how gender influences their experiences of this critical injury. Past research has been dominated by androcentrism and quantitative approaches, leaving the lived experience of women with TBI insufficiently examined. To gain insight into their experiences, this qualitative study interviewed 19 Canadian women with mild and moderate-to-severe TBIs. Applying a thematic analysis, we discerned three themes: Gender prevails considers choosing to do gender over complying with physician advice; Consequences of TBI impeding performativity explores how women frame themselves as terrible people for being unable to do gender post-TBI; and Perceptions of receiving care looks at gendered caregiving expectations. These results broadly align with research on how doing gender influences recovery and health outcomes. We discuss the implications of our findings for knowledge translation, future research on women's TBI recovery, and clinical practice.