Affiliations: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, VA, USA | Division of Neurological Surgery, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, VA, USA
Note: [] This work was partly supported by Grants G0087C0219 and H133P2006 from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, United States Department of Education.
Note: [] Corresponding author. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Medical College of Virginia, MCV Box 980542, Richmond, VA 23298-0542, USA. Tel: + 1 804 8289055; Fax: + 1 804 8282378.
Abstract: A sample of 97 unemployed persons with traumatic brain injury receiving rehabilitation services at an urban outpatient rehabilitation center were identified. Patients were divided into two groups based on time elapsed since injury, 5–9 years and 10–35 years post-injury. Family members reported a high incidence of cognitive, motor, and emotional problems lingering well beyond the first few years postinjury. Rates of moderate and heavy drinking, psychiatric treatment, and criminal behavior were identified. Transportation, cognitive, and physical problems were described as primary obstacles to employment. Analysis revealed few differences in the occurrence of cognitive, emotional and motor problems between follow-up samples, supporting contentions that disability is often permanent. Family members' perceptions of injury-related obstacles to work were also strikingly similar. Recommendations are made for individually tailored, holistic rehabilitation programs with long-term, proactive follow-up.
