Citation

Norup A, Welling KL, Qvist J, Siert L, Mortensen EL. Brain Inj. 2012; 26(10): 1192-1200.

Affiliation

Department of Neurorehabilitation, Traumatic Brain Injury Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital , Glostrup , Denmark.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.3109/02699052.2012.672790

PMID

22646665

Abstract

Primary objective: To investigate the emotional well-being of relatives of patients with a severe brain injury in the acute setting, as well as risk factors associated with high anxiety and depression scores and impaired quality-of-life. Research design: Clinical convenience sample. Methods and procedures: Participants included 45 relatives of patients with severe brain injury recruited at a NICU. All relatives completed selected scales from the SCL-90-R and SF-36 ∼ 14 days after injury. Data concerning the condition of the patient were also collected. Main outcome and results: Of the relatives, 51% and 69% reported anxiety and depression, respectively, as well as significantly impaired quality-of-life compared to normal reference populations. Regression analysis revealed that up to 20% of the variance in depression and anxiety scores could be explained by the CRASH 2 Mortality prediction. Conclusions: The majority of the relatives had severely impaired quality-of-life and symptoms of anxiety and depression during the patient's NICU stay. Future research is required to explore stressors and evaluate effects of psychological intervention in the acute setting.

Language: en