Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 1, 2025
Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
Association Between Participation and Satisfaction With Life Over Time in Older Adults With Traumatic Brain Injury: A
Zinat Taiwo1, Angelle M Sander, Shannon B Juengst
1H. Ben Taub Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas (Drs Taiwo and Sander); Brain Injury Research Center, TIRR Memorial Hermann, Houston, Texas (Drs Taiwo, Sander, and Juengst); Harris Health System, Houston, Texas (Dr Sander); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston (Drs Juengst and Gut); Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston (Ms Liu and Dr Novelo); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis (Dr Hammond); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Boston, Charlestown, Massachusetts (Dr O'Neil-Pirozzi); Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts (Dr O'Neil-Pirozzi); Department of Psychology, School of Data Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville (Dr Perrin); and TBI Model Systems, Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center, Central Virginia Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Richmond (Dr Perrin).
Participation in various domains after traumatic brain injury (TBI) is linked to higher life satisfaction in older adults. Rehabilitation should focus on enhancing participation for improved well-being post-TBI.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) significantly impacts older adults.
- Understanding long-term participation and life satisfaction is crucial for this demographic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between participation and life satisfaction 1, 2, 5, and 10 years post-TBI in adults aged 60+.
- To explore age-related differences in this association.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of a large multicenter database (N=2362) of older adults with complicated mild to severe TBI.
- Assessed participation using the Participation Assessment With Recombined Tools-Objective (PART-O) across Productivity, Social Relations, and Out and About domains.
- Measured life satisfaction using the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS).
Main Results:
- Life satisfaction (SWLS) increased over 10 years post-TBI and was positively associated with participation frequency across all domains.
- A weaker association between social relations participation and life satisfaction was observed in the oldest age group (75+).
- Participation in Productivity and Out and About domains showed consistent positive associations with life satisfaction across all age groups.
Conclusions:
- Increased participation in all domains is associated with greater life satisfaction in older adults following TBI.
- Rehabilitation interventions should aim to improve participation to enhance life satisfaction.
- While the frequency of social relations may be less critical for life satisfaction in the oldest adults, the quality of these relations might remain important.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Traumatic Memory
01:30Cognitive Development During Adulthood