Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T06:01:33.809Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Coping Strategies, Emotional Distress and Quality of Life in Relatives of Patients With Severe Brain Injury in Denmark: One Year After Injury

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2013

Anne Norup ,
Lars Siert  and
Erik Lykke Mortensen
Anne Norup*
Affiliation:
RUBRIC Research Unit on BRain Injury rehabilitation Copenhagen, Department of Neurorehabilitation, Traumatic Brain Injury Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Glostrup, Denmark
Lars Siert
Affiliation:
RUBRIC Research Unit on BRain Injury rehabilitation Copenhagen, Department of Neurorehabilitation, Traumatic Brain Injury Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital, Glostrup, Denmark
Erik Lykke Mortensen
Affiliation:
Institute of Public Health and Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
*
Corresponding author: Anne Norup, Department of Neurorehabilitation, Traumatic Brain Injury Unit, RUBRIC Research Unit on BRain Injury rehabilitation Copenhagen, www.rubric.info Glostrup, Copenhagen University Hospital, Hvidovre, Denmark. Email: anne.norup@regionh.dk.
Get access

Abstract

The present study describes coping strategies in a sample of 37 relatives of patients with severe brain injury and analyses associations between coping strategies and symptoms of anxiety depression and health-related quality of life one year after injury. The participants used the strategies active coping and use of emotional support most frequently. Less used strategies were humour, substance use, behavioural disengagement and self-blame. The results suggest that use of the strategies positive reframing and acceptance was associated with less anxiety, depression and better health-related quality of life one year after injury, whereas the use of the coping strategy denial was associated with a poorer outcome in the relatives.

Keywords

severe brain injuryone-year follow-upcoping strategiesrelativescaregiversanxietydepressionhealth-related quality of lifebrief COPESCL-90-R
Type
Articles
Information
The Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling , Volume 19 , Special Issue 2: Family Support and Adjustment Following Acquired Brain Injury: An International Perspective , December 2013 , pp. 142 - 154
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Australian Academic Press Pty Ltd 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bjorner, J.B., Damsgård, M.T., Watt, T., & Bech, P. (1997). [Danish manual for SF-36. A health-related questionnaire]. Copenhagen: Medif.Google Scholar
Brooks, D.N. (1991). The head-injured family. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 13, 155–188.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Calvete, E., & de Arroyabe, E.L. (2012). Depression and grief in Spanish family caregivers of people with traumatic brain injury: The roles of social support and coping. Brain Injury, 26, 834–843.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carver, C.S. (1997). You want to measure coping but your protocol's too long: Consider the brief COPE. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 4, 92–100.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carver, C.S. (2012). Brief COPE. Retrieved November 6, 2012, from http://www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/ccarver/sclBrCOPE.htmlGoogle Scholar
Carver, C.C., & Connor-Smith, J. (2010). Personality and coping. Annual Review of Psychology, 61, 679–704.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carver, C.S., Scheier, M.F., & Weintraub, J.K. (1989). Assessing coping strategies: A theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 267–283.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chronister, J., & Chan, F. (2006). A stress process model of caregiving for individuals with traumatic brain injury. Rehabilitation Psychology, 51, 190–201.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chwalisz, K. (1996). The perceived stress model of caregiver burden: Evidence from spouses of persons with brain injuries. Rehabilitation Psychology, 41, 91–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Corrigan, J.D., Smith-Knapp, K., & Granger, C.V. (1997). Validity of the functional independence measure for persons with traumatic brain injury. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 78, 828–834.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cruzado, J.A., & Morena, M. J.E. (2013). Coping and distress in caregivers of patients with disorders of consciousness. Brain Injury, Early online, 1–9.Google ScholarPubMed
Derogatis, L.R. (1994). SCL-90-R: Symptom Checklist-90-R. Administration, scoring and procedures manual. (3rd edn.) Minneapolis: National Computer Systems.Google Scholar
Wells, R., Dywan, J., & Dumas, J. (2005). Life satisfaction and distress in family caregivers as related to specific behavioral changes after traumatic brain injury, Brain Injury, 19, 1105–1115.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Finset, A., & Andersson, S. (2000). Coping strategies in patients with acquired brain injury: Relationships between coping, apathy, depression and lesion location. Brain Injury, 14, 887–905.Google ScholarPubMed
Florian, V., Katz, S., & Lahav, V. (1991). Impact of traumatic brain damage on family dynamics and functioning: A review. International Disability Studies, 13, 150–157.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Folkman, S., & Lazarus, R.S. (1988). The relationship between coping and emotion: Implications for theory and research. Social Science Medicine, 26, 309–317.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Folkman, S., Lazarus, R.S., Gruen, R.J., & DeLongis, A. (1986). Appraisal, coping, health status, and psychological symptoms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 571–579.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gunthert, K.C., Cohen, L.H., & Armeli, S. (1999). The role of neuroticism in daily stress and coping. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 1087–1100.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hanks, R.A., Rapport, L.J., & Vangel, S. (2007). Caregiving appraisal after traumatic brain injury: The effects of functional status, coping style, social support and family functioning. NeuroRehabilitation, 22, 43–52.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harris, J.K., Godfrey, H.P., Partridge, F.M., & Knight, R.G. (2001). Caregiver depression following traumatic brain injury (TBI): A consequence of adverse affects on family members? Brain Injury, 15, 223–238.Google Scholar
Keith, R.A., Granger, C.V., Hamilton, B.B., & Sherwin, F.S. (1987). The functional independence measure: A new tool for rehabilitation. Advanced Clinical Rehabilitation, 1, 6–18.Google Scholar
Kendall, E., & Terry, D.J. (2008). Understanding adjustment following traumatic brain injury: is the Goodness-of-Fit coping hypothesis useful? Social Science Medicine, 67, 1217–1224.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lazarus, R.S. (1966). Psychological Stress and the Coping Process. New York: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Lazarus, R.S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal and Coping. New York: Springer.Google Scholar
Leach, L.R., Frank, R.G., Bouman, D.E., & Farmer, J. (1994). Family functioning, social support and depression after traumatic brain injury. Brain Injury, 8, 599–606.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lehan, T., Arango-Lasprilla, J.C., de los Reyes, C.J., & Quijano, M.C. (2012). The ties that bind: The relationship between caregiver burden and the neuropsychological functioning of TBI survivors. NeuroRehabilitation, 30, 87–95.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Levin, H.S., O'Donnell, V.M., & Grossman, R.G. (1979). The Galveston Orientation and Amnesia Test. A practical scale to assess cognition after head injury. Journal of Nervous and .Mental Disease, 167, 675–684.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lezak, M.D. (1986). Psychological implication of traumatic brain damage for the patient's family. Rehabilitation Psychology, 31, 241–250.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Linn, R.T., Allen, K., & Willer, B.S. (1994). Affective symptoms in the chronic stage of traumatic brain injury – A study of married-couples. Brain Injury, 8, 135–147.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCrae, R.R., & Costa, P.T. (1986). Personality, coping, and coping effectiveness in an adult sample. Journal of Personality, 54, 385–405.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minnes, P., Graffi, S., Nolte, M.L., Carlson, P., & Harrick, L. (2000). Coping and stress in Canadian family caregivers of persons with traumatic brain injuries. Brain Injury, 14, 737–748.Google ScholarPubMed
Norup, A., Siert, L., & Mortensen, E.L. (2010). Emotional distress and quality of life in relatives of patients with severe brain injury: The first month after injury. Brain Injury, 24, 81–88.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Norup, A., Welling, K.L., Qvist, J., Siert, L., & Mortensen, E.L. (2012). Depression, anxiety and quality-of-life among relatives of patients with severe brain injury: The acute phase. Brain Injury, 26, 1192–1200.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Norup, A., Snipes, D., Siert, L., Mortensen, E.L, Perrin, P., & Arango-Lasprilla, J.C. (2013). Longitudinal Trajectories of Health Related Quality of Life in Danish Family Members of Individuals with Severe Brain Injury. In press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oddy, M., Coughlan, T., Tyerman, A., & Jenkins, D. (1985). Social adjustment after closed head injury: A further follow-up seven years after injury. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 133, 564–568.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Olsen, L.R., Mortensen, E.L., & Bech, P. (2006). Mental distress in the Danish general population. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 113, 477–484.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Romano, M.D. (1974). Family response to traumatic head injury. Scandinavian Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 6, 1–4.Google ScholarPubMed
Sander, A.M., High, W.M. Jr., Hannay, H.J., & Sherer, M. (1997). Predictors of psychological health in caregivers of patients with closed head injury. Brain Injury, 11, 235–249.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Skinner, E.A., Edge, K., Altman, J., & Sherwood, H. (2003). Searching for the structure of coping: A review and critique of category systems for classifying ways of coping. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 216–269.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Turner, B., Flemming, J., Parry, J., Vromans, M., Cornwell, P., Gordon, C., & Ownsworth, T. (2010). Caregivers of adults with traumatic brain injury: The emotional impact of transition from hospital to home. Brain Impairment, 11, 1045–1059.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Verhaeghe, S., Defloor, T., & Grypdonck, M. (2005). Stress and coping among families of patients with traumatic brain injury: a review of the literature. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 14, 1004–1012.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ware, J.E., Snow, K.K., Kosinski, M., & Gandek, B. (1997). SF-36 Health Survey Manual and Interpretation Guide. Boston: The Health Institute, New England Medical Center.Google Scholar
Wells, R., Dywan, J., & Dumas, J. (2005). Life satisfaction and distress in family caregivers as related to specific behavioural changes after traumatic brain injury. Brain Injury, 19, 1105–1115.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilde, E., Whiteneck, G.G., Bogner, J., Bushnik, T., Cifu, D.X., Dikmen, S., French, L., Giacino, J.T., Hart, T., Malec, J.F., Millis, S.R., Novack, T.A., Sherer, M., Tulsky, D.S., Vanderploeg, R.D., Steinbuechel, N. (2010). Recommendations for the use of common outcome measures in traumatic brain injury research.Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 91, 1650–1660.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilson, J.T.L. (1993). Post-traumatic amnesia: Still a valuable yardstick. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 56, 198–201.Google Scholar
Wolters, G.G., Stapert, S., Brands, I., & van Heugten, C. (2011). Coping styles within the family system in the chronic phase following acquired brain injury: Its relation to families’ and patients’ functioning. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 43, 190–196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar