Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T15:38:03.351Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

‘I’ve got to row the boat on my own, more or less’: aboriginal australian experiences of traumatic brain injury

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2019

Elizabeth Armstrong Open the ORCID record for Elizabeth Armstrong [Opens in a new window] ,
Juli Coffin ,
Meaghan McAllister ,
Deborah Hersh ,
Judith M. Katzenellenbogen ,
Sandra C. Thompson ,
Natalie Ciccone ,
Leon Flicker ,
Natasha Cross  and
Linda Arabi
...Show all authors
Elizabeth Armstrong*
Affiliation:
School of Medical & Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Juli Coffin
Affiliation:
Nulungu Research Institute, Notre Dame University, Broome, Western Australia, Australia
Meaghan McAllister
Affiliation:
School of Medical & Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Deborah Hersh
Affiliation:
School of Medical & Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Judith M. Katzenellenbogen
Affiliation:
School of Population and Global Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Sandra C. Thompson
Affiliation:
Western Australian Centre for Rural Health, University of Western Australia, Geraldton, Western Australia, Australia
Natalie Ciccone
Affiliation:
School of Medical & Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Leon Flicker
Affiliation:
Centre for Medical Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Natasha Cross
Affiliation:
School of Medical & Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Linda Arabi
Affiliation:
School of Medical & Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Deborah Woods
Affiliation:
Geraldton Regional Aboriginal Medical Service, Geraldton, Western Australia, Australia
Colleen Hayward
Affiliation:
Kurongkurl Katitjin, Centre for Indigenous Australian Education and Research, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
*
*Corresponding author. Email: b.armstrong@ecu.edu.au
Get access

Abstract

Background:

The overarching cultural context of the brain injury survivor, particularly that related to minority peoples with a history of colonisation and discrimination, has rarely been referred to in the research literature, despite profoundly influencing a person’s recovery journey in significant ways, including access to services. This study highlights issues faced by Australian Aboriginal traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors in terms of real-life consequences of the high incidence of TBI in this population, current treatment and long-term challenges.

Method:

A case study approach utilised qualitative interview and file review data related to five male Aboriginal TBI survivors diagnosed with acquired communication disorders. The five TBI survivors were from diverse areas of rural and remote Western Australia, aged between 19 and 48 years at the time of injury, with a range of severity.

Case Reports:

Common themes included: significant long-term life changes; short-term and long-term dislocation from family and country as medical intervention and rehabilitation were undertaken away from the person’s rural/remote home; family adjustments to the TBI including permanent re-location to a metropolitan area to be with their family member in residential care; challenges related to lack of formal rehabilitation services in rural areas; poor communication channels; poor cultural security of services; and lack of consistent follow-up.

Discussion and Conclusion:

These case reports represent some of the first documented stories of Aboriginal Australian TBI survivors. They supplement available epidemiological data and highlight different contexts for Aboriginal people after TBI, contributing to an overall profile that is relevant for rehabilitation service planning.

Keywords

AboriginalIndigenoustraumatic brain injuryacquired communication disorderrehabilitationhealth worker
Type
Articles
Information
Brain Impairment , Volume 20 , Special Issue 2: Brain Impairment in Indigenous Populations , September 2019 , pp. 120 - 136
Copyright
© Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment 2019 

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

Alway, Y., Gould, K. R., Johnston, L., McKenzie, D., & Ponsford, J. (2016). A prospective examination of Axis I psychiatric disorders in the first 5 years following moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. Psychological Medicine, 46(6), 1331–1341. doi: 10.1017/S0033291715002986.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Armstrong, E., Hersh, D., Hayward, C., & Fraser, J. (2015). Communication disorders after stroke in Aboriginal Australians. Disability and Rehabilitation, 37(16), 1462–1469. doi: 10.3109/09638288.2014.972581.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Armstrong, E., Hersh, D., Katzenellenbogen, J. M., Coffin, J., Thompson, S. C., Ciccone, N., … McAllister, M. (2015). Study protocol: Missing voices – communication difficulties after stroke and traumatic brain injury in Aboriginal Australians. Brain Impairment, 16(02), 145–156. doi: 10.1017/BrImp.2015.15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Australia Institute of Health and Welfare. (2004). Rural, regional and remote health: A guide to remoteness classifications. Canberra: AIHW, 2004 AIHW Cat No PHE 53.Google Scholar
Baxter, P., & Jack, S. (2008). Qualitative case study methodology: Study design and implementation for novice researchers. The Qualitative Report, 13(4), 544–559. Retrieved from http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol13/iss4/2.Google Scholar
Blackmer, J., & Marshall, S. C. (1999). A comparison of traumatic brain injury in the Saskatchewan native North American and non-native North American populations. Brain Injury, 13(8), 627–635. doi: 10.1080/026990599121359.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bohanna, I., Fitts, M. S., Bird, K., Fleming, J., Gilroy, J., Esterman, A., … Clough, A. R. (2018). The transition from hospital to home: Protocol for a longitudinal study of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traumatic brain injury (TBI). Brain Impairment, 19(3), 246–257. doi: 10.1017/BrImp.2018.1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Chase, S. E. (2005). Narrative inquiry: Multiple lenses, approaches, voices. In Lincoln, N. K. D. Y. S. (Ed.), The sage handbook of qualitative research (3rd ed., pp. 651–679), Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications Inc.Google Scholar
Coffin, J., & Armstrong, E. (2018). The positioning of the Aboriginal brain injury survivor within a service, family/community and wider societal context. (Version 1). Figshare. doi: 10.6084/m9.figshare.7180823.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Elder, H. (2013). Indigenous theory building for Māori children and adolescents with traumatic brain injury and their extended family. Brain Impairment, 14(03), 406–414. doi: 10.1017/BrImp.2013.28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feigin, V. L., Theadom, A., Barker-Collo, S., Starkey, N. J., McPherson, K., Kahan, M., … Ameratunga, S. (2013). Incidence of traumatic brain injury in New Zealand: A population-based study. Lancet Neurology, 12(1), 53–64. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(12)70262-4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Foster, A. M., Armstrong, J., Buckley, A., Sherry, J., Young, T., Foliaki, S., … McPherson, K. M. (2012). Encouraging family engagement in the rehabilitation process: A rehabilitation provider’s development of support strategies for family members of people with traumatic brain injury. Disability and Rehabilitation, 34(22), 1855–1862. doi: 10.3109/09638288.2012.670028.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gauld, S., Smith, S., & Kendall, M. B. (2011). Using participatory action research in community-based rehabilitation for people with acquired brain injury: From service provision to partnership with Aboriginal communities. Disability and Rehabilitation, 33(19–20), 1901–1911.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gauthier, S., LeBlanc, J., Seresova, A., Laberge-Poirier, A., Correa, J. A., Alturki, A. Y., … de Guise, E. (2018). Acute prediction of outcome and cognitive-communication impairments following traumatic brain injury: The influence of age, education and site of lesion. Journal of Communication Disorders, 73, 77–90. doi: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2018.04.003.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hines, M., Brunner, M., Poon, S., Lam, M., Tran, V., Yu, D., … Power, E. (2017). Tribes and tribulations: Interdisciplinary eHealth in providing services for people with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). BMC Health Services Research, 17(1), 757. doi: 10.1186/s12913-017-2721-2.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jamieson, L. M., Harrison, J. E., & Berry, J. G. (2008). Hospitalisation for head injury due to assault among Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, July 1999--June 2005. The Medical Journal of Australia, 188(10), 576.Google ScholarPubMed
Katzenellenbogen, J. M., Atkins, E., Thompson, S. C., Hersh, D., Coffin, J., Flicker, L., … Armstrong, E. M. (2018). Missing Voices: Profile, extent, and 12-month outcomes of nonfatal traumatic brain injury in Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal adults in Western Australia using linked administrative records. Journal of Head Trauma and Rehabilitation, 33(6), 412–423. doi: 10.1097/HTR.0000000000000371.Google ScholarPubMed
Katzenellenbogen, J. M., Miller, L. J., Somerford, P., Mcevoy, S., & Bessarab, D. (2015). Strategic information for hospital service planning: A linked data study to inform an urban Aboriginal Health Liaison Officer program in Western Australia. Australian Health Review, 39, 429–436.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Katzenellenbogen, J. M., Teng, T. H., Lopez, D., Hung, J., Knuiman, M. W., Sanfilippo, F. M., … Thompson, S. C. (2015). Initial hospitalisation for atrial fibrillation in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations in Western Australia. Heart, 101(9), 712–719. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2014-306678.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Keightley, M., Kendall, V., Jang, S. H., Parker, C., Agnihotri, S., Colantonio, A., … Bellavance, A. (2011). From health care to home community: An Aboriginal community-based ABI transition strategy. Brain Injury, 25(2), 142–152. doi: 10.3109/02699052.2010.541898.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kelly, J., Dwyer, J., Pekarsky, B., Mackean, T., Willis, E., Battersby, M., & Glover, J. (2012). Managing two worlds together: Stage 2 - patient journey mapping tools. Retrieved from Melbourne: The Lowitja Institute.Google Scholar
Kelly, J., Dwyer, J., Willis, E., & Pekarsky, B. (2014). Travelling to the city for hospital care: Access factors in country Aboriginal patient journeys. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 22(3), 109–113. doi: 10.1111/ajr.12094.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lakhani, A., Townsend, C., & Bishara, J. (2017). Traumatic brain injury amongst indigenous people: A systematic review. Brain Injury, 31(13–14), 1718–1730. doi: 10.1080/02699052.2017.1374468.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lewis, F. D., & Horn, G. J. (2017). Depression following traumatic brain injury: Impact on post-hospital residential rehabilitation outcomes. NeuroRehabilitation, 40(3), 401–410. doi: 10.3233/NRE-161427.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Linton, K. F. (2015). Interpersonal violence and traumatic brain injuries among Native Americans and women. Brain Injury, 29(5), 639–643. doi: 10.3109/02699052.2014.989406.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McDonald, S., Togher, L., & Code, C. (2014). Social and communication disorders following traumatic brain injury. London: Taylor & Francis GroupGoogle Scholar
McKenna, B., Fernbacher, S., Furness, T., & Hannon, M. (2015). “Cultural brokerage” and beyond: Piloting the role of an urban Aboriginal Mental Health Liaison Officer. BMC Public Health, 15, 881. doi: 10.1186/s12889-015-2221-4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Olver, J. H., Ponsford, J. L., & Curran, C. A. (2009). Outcome following traumatic brain injury: A comparison between 2 and 5 years after injury. Brain Injury, 10(11), 841–848. doi: 10.1080/026990596123945CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O’Reilly, K., Wilson, N., & Peters, K. (2018). Narrative literature review: Health, activity and participation issues for women following traumatic brain injury. Disability and Rehabilitation, 40(19), 2331–2342. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2017.1334838.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ponsford, J. L., Downing, M. G., Olver, J., Ponsford, M., Acher, R., Carty, M., & Spitz, G. (2014). Longitudinal follow-up of patients with traumatic brain injury: Outcome at two, five, and ten years post-injury. Journal of Neurotrauma, 31(1), 64–77. doi: 10.1089/neu.2013.2997.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Queensland Government (Writer) & A. B. I. O. Service (Director). (2017). My community, my family - three indigenous families share their knowledge of brain injury. Buranda, Queensland: Queensland Government.Google Scholar
Rutland-Brown, W., Wallace, L. J. D., Faul, M. D., & Langlois, J. A. (2005). Traumatic brain injury hospitalizations among American Indians/Alaska Natives. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 20(3), 205–214.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Salas, C. E., Casassus, M., Rowlands, L., Pimm, S., & Flanagan, D. A. J. (2018). “Relating through sameness”: A qualitative study of friendship and social isolation in chronic traumatic brain injury. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 28(7), 1161–1178. doi: 10.1080/09602011.2016.1247730.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sandelowski, M. (2000). Whatever happened to qualitative description? Research in Nursing and Health, 23, 334–340.3.0.CO;2-G>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Taylor, S. J., & Bogdan, R. (1994). Qualitative research methods and community living. In Hayden, M. F., & Avery, B. H. (Eds.), Challenges for service system in transition (pp. 43–63). Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Togher, L., McDonald, S., Tate, R., Rietdijk, R., & Power, E. (2016). The effectiveness of social communication partner training for adults with severe chronic TBI and their families using a measure of perceived communication ability. NeuroRehabilitation, 38, 243–255.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
World Health Organisation. (2001). International classification of functioning, disability and health (ICF). Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organisation.Google Scholar