Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 6, 2026
Mitral Valve Prolapse III: Nursing Management
Published on: June 19, 2025
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).
Objective:
To describe the self-reported needs of family caregivers of service members and veterans (SMVs) with traumatic brain injury (TBI) at 10 to 15 years post-injury and to identify unique predictors of unmet family needs.
Setting:
Five Department of Veterans Affairs Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers.
Participants:
A total of 209 family caregivers of SMVs with TBI from the VA TBI Model Systems national database who completed a 10- or 15-year follow-up assessment.
Design:
Observational study.
Main Outcome Measure:
Family Needs Questionnaire-Revised (FNQ-R).
Results:
Item-, domain-, and total score-level descriptive analyses of FNQ-R responses were conducted. On average, 56.3% of the FNQ-R family caregiver needs were reported as met. Health information and involvement in care needs were the most often met, and emotional support and instrumental support needs were the least often met. Adjusted multivariable regression models demonstrated that urban-dwelling SMVs (compared to suburban) and spouses/significant others (compared to parents) were associated with more unmet family needs. Distinct associations were identified between the 6 FNQ-R domains and SMV environmental factors (ie, urbanicity, rurality, and being active duty at follow-up), SMV comorbidities (ie, receiving mental health treatment in the year prior to the follow-up), and caregiver factors (ie, spouses/significant others).
Conclusion:
Family caregivers of SMVs with TBI reported multiple unmet needs at 10 to 15 years post-injury, emphasizing the importance of ongoing caregiver support after TBI. Policy and programming to support military caregivers should consider the current findings to direct resources to address the identified unmet needs.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:19Mitral Valve Prolapse III: Nursing Management
01:30Cancer Vaccines
Cancer vaccines come in two categories: preventive (prophylactic) and treatment (active). Preventive vaccines, such as the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, protect against viruses that cause certain...
01:22Development of Immunocompetence
The initial cells that migrate from the fetal thymus settle within the skin and epithelial tissues lining the mouth, digestive tract, and in females, the uterus and vagina. These cells, including skin-based dendritic cells, serve as antigen-presenting cells, playing a key role in T cell activation.
Subsequent T...
01:51Vaccinations
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:07Teratogenicity