ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY ON FAMILY FUNCTIONING- CONCEPTUAL AND METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES

Reviewed empirical literature published since 1975 on the effects of p ediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) on the family. Few systematic, h ypothesis-driven investigations of the impact of TBI on family functio ning have been conducted. However, existing findings indicate that sev ere TBI can adversely affect families and individual family members. C ertain factors, such as poor preinjury functioning and parental psycho logical disorder, appear To place families at greater risk for long-te rm disruption. Issues associated with the conceptualization of the imp act of TBI on various aspects of family functioning are discussed and methodological considerations are outlined. Special attention is given to novel strategies for studying these complex, multifaceted issues. Finally, a framework is proposed for examining the processes of family adaptation after pediatric TBI to guide future research directions.