The Contribution of Social Support, Professional Support, and Financial Hardship to Family Caregiver Life Satisfaction After Traumatic Brain Injury.

OBJECTIVES: (a) To assess whether 3 changeable environmental variables (social support, professional support, and financial hardship) contribute to explaining differences in well-being of family caregivers after traumatic brain injury (TBI), above and beyond the influence of neurobehavioral functioning. (b) To assess the unique and relative contribution of social support, professional support, and financial hardship to life satisfaction of family caregivers. PARTICIPANTS: Adult family caregivers (n = 136) of individuals who received inpatient rehabilitation following a TBI. MEASURES: The Social Provisions Scale; Brief Scale of Financial Hardship after Brain Injury; Satisfaction with Life Scale; and adapted scales measuring professional support and neurobehavioral functioning. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study using survey methodology. RESULTS: Social support, professional support, and financial hardship explained a significant amount of variance in life satisfaction after controlling for neurobehavioral functioning (R change = 0.34, considered a large effect size). Social support and financial hardship were significant unique predictors within the model, but professional support was not. CONCLUSION: Social support and financial hardship are prominent environmental variables that may hold promise for targeted intervention development and testing designed to support family adaptation after TBI.

Financial hardship after traumatic brain injury: a brief scale for family caregivers.

OBJECTIVE: Financial hardship is frequently posited as a significant factor influencing family health and adjustment after brain injury, though traditional methods of measurement have shown limited usefulness. The purpose of this study was to adapt and test the utility of a brief scale of financial hardship (BSFH-BI) for use with family caregivers after TBI. METHODS: The researchers constructed the BSFH-BI using financial well-being items adapted from three survey instruments. The BSFH-BI questionnaire was completed by 136 family caregivers of individuals with TBIs. Scale utility was evaluated through reliability analysis, factor analysis, and correlations with a measure of life satisfaction. RESULTS: The factor analysis revealed that the BSFH-BI had a meaningful two factor structure consisting of items related to (a) meeting essential living expenses and (b) financial changes after the injury. The scale showed high internal consistency (α = 0.92) and moderate negative correlations with life satisfaction (rs = -0.58). CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary findings indicate that the BSFH-BI can be a reliable and valid scale for use with family caregivers after TBI. The authors recommend further study of financial hardship within models of adaptation to TBI using psychometrically validated instruments such as the BSFH-BI.