N. Watt et C. Penn, Predictors and indicators of return to work following traumatic brain injury in South Africa: Findings from a preliminary experimental database, S AFR J PSY, 30(3), 2000, pp. 27-37
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects a substantial portion of the South Afr
ican population every year. However. there is little empirical evidence ava
ilable regarding eventual outcome after injury in South Africa. in particul
ar, there is little information regarding the ability of head injured indiv
iduals to return to their places of employment following injury, or what fa
ctors are most closely related to a successful return to work. This study e
xplored the return to work of a specific group of individuals with TBI, in
relation to a number of domains, including: rate and nature of return to wo
rk, pre-morbid and accident variables that appeared to be related to return
to work, and the relationship between return to work and other aspects of
outcome, specifically communicative, cognitive, physical and emotional outc
ome. The study took the form of a detailed record review of a group of subj
ects seeking medico-legal compensation, using a specially designed data rec
ording form and computerised database. Results indicated a poor rate of ret
urn to work in this sample (32%), with significant changes in work status p
ost-injury. The strongest pre-morbid predictors of outcome were found to be
first language and pre-injury educational level, with African language spe
akers and those with an educational level of matriculation or less being at
a significant disadvantage Numerous communicative and cognitive difficulti
es were significantly related to a failure to RTW, including difficulties i
n: motor speech, comprehension, expression, attention, speed of processing,
incidental visual memory, cognitive flexibility and insight. These results
indicate the multi-factorial nature of outcome following head injury in th
e sample.