TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2018//
TI  - Burden among caregivers of service members and veterans following traumatic brain injury
JO  - Brain injury
A1  - Brickell, Tracey A.
A1  - French, Louis M.
A1  - Lippa, Sara M.
A1  - Lange, Rael T.
SP  - 1541
EP  - 1548
VL  - 32
IS  - 12
N2  - OBJECTIVES: To determine the (a) health status and caregiving appraisal and (b) influence of perceived burden on health and appraisal in a sample of caregivers helping service member/veterans (SMVs) following a traumatic brain injury (TBI). <br><br>METHODS: Participants were caregivers (N = 283, female = 96.1%, 86.2% = spouse/partner) of SMVs who sustained a mild-severe or penetrating TBI. Participants completed the Caregiver Appraisal Scale (CAS) and the SF-36v2 Health Survey (SF-36v2). Participants were divided into three burden groups: high, neutral, and low. <br><br>RESULTS: Almost half the sample (48.8%) reported negative feelings on the CAS Perceived Burden scale. A substantial proportion had lower scores than a normative sample on four SF-36v2 physical health scales (35.1-64.5%) and four mental health scales (70.7-79.8%). A significant main effect was found across caregiver burden groups on three CAS scales (p = 0.010 to p < 0.001), two SF-36v2 component scores (all ps < 0.001), and eight SF-36v2 scales (p = 0.001 to p < 0.001). Caregivers with high perceived burden reported significantly worse scores, except CAS Caregiving Ideology. All CAS and SF-36v2 scales were significant predictors of CAS Perceived Burden scores (all ps< 0.001), with the SF-36v2 Social Functioning scale accounting for the most variance (32.6%). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Health care and social services are needed for caregivers who help SMVs to foster resilience, wellness, and growth.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0269-9052
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02699052.2018.1503328
ID  - ref1
ER  -