GENDER-RELATED AND AGE-RELATED ROLE CHANGES FOLLOWING BRAIN INJURY

The impact of gender and age on community integration after brain inju ry was examined among 758 respondents surveyed by four regional head i njury centers. After injury, most participants required more help with many activities of community living than they had before injury. Men and women alike indicated changes in independent functioning; however, larger proportions of women than men indicated that they used more he lp with activities such as housework and meal preparation. More older participants than younger participants reported changes in role perfor mance. One factor that may account for these gender- and age-related d ifferences is the instrument used to measure handicap. These results p oint to a need for further research on the social factors that influen ce community integration. More comprehensive evaluation of the role of socially relevant variables such as gender and age on community integ ration following brain injury is needed.