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Family Needs After Traumatic Brain Injury: A VA TBI Model Systems Study
Jacob A Finn1, Farina A Klocksieben, Austin N Smith
1Rehabilitation & Extended Care (Dr Finn) and Mental Health Service Line (Mr Bernstein), Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (Dr Finn); Morsani College of Medicine (Ms Klocksieben), Department of Anthropology (Dr Cotner), and Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Division, Department of Internal Medicine (Dr Nakase-Richardson), University of South Florida, Tampa; Mental Health Service (Mr Smith) and Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence (Mr Smith), Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center, Richmond, Virginia; Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge (Mr Bernstein); Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (Dr O'Neil-Pirozzi); Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts (Dr O'Neil-Pirozzi); Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond (Dr Kreutzer); H. Ben Taub Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas (Dr Sander); Brain Injury Research Center, TIRR Memorial Hermann, Houston, Texas (Dr Sander); Departments of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences (Dr Dreer) and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (Dr Niemeier), University of Alabama-Birmingham; Research Service (Dr Cotner), Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence (Drs Cotner and Nakase-Richardson), and Mental Health and Behavioral Services (Dr Nakase-Richardson), James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, Florida.
Family caregivers of service members and veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) need more emotional and instrumental support. Environmental barriers and lack of mental health treatment predict unmet needs, informing VA and DoD programming.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Caregiver Support
Background:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) significantly impacts service members and veterans (SMVs).
- Family caregivers play a crucial role in the recovery and long-term well-being of SMVs with TBI.
- Understanding caregiver needs is essential for effective support systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the self-reported needs of family caregivers of SMVs with TBI.
- To identify predictors of unmet needs among these family caregivers.
Main Methods:
- An observational study was conducted with 427 family caregivers of SMVs within 5 years post-TBI.
- Data were collected using the Family Needs Questionnaire-Revised (FNQ-R).
- Descriptive analyses and regression models were used to identify unmet needs and their predictors.
Main Results:
- Health information was the most met need, while emotional and instrumental support were least met.
- On average, 59.2% of caregiver needs were met.
- SMV-perceived environmental barriers and recent mental health treatment predicted higher unmet caregiver needs.
Conclusions:
- Findings highlight critical gaps in emotional and instrumental support for caregivers of SMVs with TBI.
- Environmental barriers and mental health treatment access are key predictors of unmet caregiver needs.
- Results can inform VA and DoD policies to better support families and caregivers post-TBI.
