Article

Approximately 20% of current-era Veterans have sustained a traumatic brain injury
(TBI), which can result in persistent postconcussive symptoms. These symptoms may
disrupt family and social functioning. We explored psychiatric, postconcussive,
and cognitive factors as correlates of objective functioning and subjective
satisfaction in family and social relationships. At entry into a supported
employment study, 50 unemployed Veterans with a history of mild to moderate TBI
and current cognitive impairment were administered baseline assessments.
Multivariate stepwise regressions determined that higher levels of depressive
symptomatology were strongly associated with less frequent social contact, as
well as lower subjective satisfaction with family and social relationships. Worse
verbal fluency predicted less frequent social contact, whereas worse processing
speed and switching predicted higher levels of subjective satisfaction with
family relationships. The pattern of results remained similar when examining
those Veterans with only mild TBI. Depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning
may impact Veterans' social contact and satisfaction with family and social
relationships. Evidence-based interventions addressing depression and cognition
may therefore aid in improving community reintegration and satisfaction with
social and family relationships.

Langue : ANGLAIS