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Long-Term Family Needs After a Traumatic Brain Injury: A VA TBI Model Systems Study
Jonathan Tsen1, Jacob A Finn, Farina A Klocksieben
1Author Affiliations: Mental Health Service Line, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, Minnesota (Tsen); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation & Extended Care, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, Minnesota (Dr Finn); Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota (Dr Finn); Department of Research Methodology and Biostatistics, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida (Mrs Klocksieben); Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts (O'Neil-Pirozzi); Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts (Dr O'Neil-Pirozzi); 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); Department of Research, Craig Hospital, Englewood, Colorado (Drs Agtarap and Finn); Departments of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama (Dr Dreer); Research Service, James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, Florida (Dr Cotner); Research Service, Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence at James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, Florida (Drs Cotner and Nakase-Richardson); Research Department, Central Virginia Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Richmond, Virginia (Mss Vargas, and Dini, and Dr Perrin); Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia (Ms Vargas); Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia (Ms Dini and Dr Perrin); Mental Health, School of Data Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia (Dr Perrin); Mental Health and Behavioral Services, James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, Florida (Drs Finn and Nakase-Richardson); and Department of Internal Medicine, Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Division, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida (Dr Nakase-Richardson).
Family caregivers of service members and veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) still have unmet needs 10-15 years post-injury. Emotional and instrumental support needs were least met, highlighting the need for ongoing caregiver assistance.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Psychology
Background:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) significantly impacts service members and veterans (SMVs).
- Family caregivers play a crucial role in the long-term recovery and well-being of SMVs with TBI.
- Understanding long-term 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 unique predictors of unmet family needs at 10 to 15 years post-injury.
- To inform policy and programming for military caregiver support.
Main Methods:
- Observational study utilizing data from five VA Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers.
- 209 family caregivers of SMVs with TBI from the VA TBI Model Systems national database were assessed at 10- or 15-year follow-up.
- The Family Needs Questionnaire-Revised (FNQ-R) was used to measure caregiver needs.
Main Results:
- An average of 56.3% of reported family caregiver needs were met.
- Health information and involvement in care needs were most often met; emotional and instrumental support needs were least often met.
- Urban-dwelling SMVs and spouse/significant other caregivers reported more unmet needs. Specific SMV and caregiver factors predicted unmet needs.
Conclusions:
- Family caregivers of SMVs with TBI experience persistent unmet needs long after the initial injury.
- Ongoing caregiver support is critical, particularly for emotional and instrumental needs.
- Future policies and programs should target identified unmet needs and specific caregiver/SMV characteristics.
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