Abstract:
Objectives for this collaborative project include: (1) to examine the frequency and magnitude of emotional distress and depressive symptoms and the level of life satisfaction of family members and non-family caregivers as compared to clinical and non-clinical populations, and (2) to identify the relationships between caregivers' well-being and survivors' injury severity and level of functioning. Six TBI Model System centers are collecting data from family members, significant others, and friends of individuals in the National Database at either 1, 2, or 5 year follow-up. Data is collected from each caregiver only once. Measures include the Neurobehavioral Functioning Inventory (NFI) Depression subscale, the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 item (BSI-18; derived from the SCL-90), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Questions are also asked to identify whether people are receiving support/treatment for emotional distress. The present investigation will provide for empirical measurement of caregivers' emotional well-being and life satisfaction. Potentially, the study can serve as a bridge to development of efficacious intervention to address caregivers' predominant needs.