The Perceived Meaning of Traumatic Brain Injury for Older Adults: A Longitudinal-Multiple Case Study.

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the perceived meaning of traumatic brain injury (TBI) over the first-year postinjury among older adults and to explore if and how meaning changes.

Design: A longitudinal multiple-case study design was used.

Methods: Semistructured face-to-face interviews were completed at 1 week and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postinjury. Transcripts were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.

Results: Fifty-five interviews were conducted with 12 participants. Four themes were identified: gratitude, vulnerability and dependence, slowing down and being more careful, and a chance for reflecting on life. Most participants' perceptions of their TBI remained either consistently positive or negative over the first-year postinjury.

Clinical relevance: Nurses should elicit and support patients' positive illness perceptions regarding their brain injury, which can contribute to a higher quality of life. For those patients with negative illness perceptions, nurses should provide resources in order to support coping and resilience following brain injury.

Conclusions: This study is the first study to explore individual perceptions over time of the meaning made from experiencing TBI among older adults. Findings can serve as a foundation for tailored supportive interventions among older adults following TBI to maximize quality of life.