The Perceived Meaning of Traumatic Brain Injury for Older Adults: A Longitudinal-Multiple Case Study.
Wonkyung Jung, Mia Vogel, Karl Cristie F Figuracion and 2 others
PMID 38156950WHAT IT FOUND
Older adults after mild to moderate brain injury described gratitude, vulnerability, slowing down, or reflection.
Most kept the same positive or negative view over time.
Key findings
01Four themes emerged from interviews with older adults after mild to moderate TBI: gratitude, vulnerability and dependence, slowing down and being more careful, and a chance for reflecting on life.
02Most participants kept the same positive or negative view of their TBI over the first year after injury.
03Five participants consistently expressed gratitude, six participants consistently expressed a negative meaning, and one participant changed from a negative view to a positive view.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was small, with 12 individuals providing 55 interviews. Most participants self-identified as non-Hispanic White. Some participants were lost to follow-up, which could have affected interpretation. The 12-month follow-up was short for observing posttraumatic growth. Data came from one Level I trauma center and were a secondary analysis of a parent study. The study was qualitative and did not test interventions or outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. No funding source is stated in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that nurses can change older adults' perceptions of TBI or improve recovery by using mindfulness, problem-solving therapy, or positive reappraisal. The study was qualitative, did not test an intervention, and most perceptions stayed the same over the year.