Who benefits? Outcome following a coping skills group intervention for traumatically brain injured individuals.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

To investigate the variables associated with positive psychological outcome following a group intervention for 33 individuals with traumatic brain injury.

RESEARCH DESIGN

Evaluation study which used multiple regression analysis to examine the variables associated with change in psychological adjustment following a 10-session cognitive behaviour therapy-based group.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

The predictor variables were age at injury, time since injury, injury severity, self-awareness, pre-morbid intellectual function, memory function, executive function and level of depression and anxiety prior to intervention.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS

The predictor variables contributed a significant proportion of the variance in percentage change in depression. The major finding was that better outcomes following intervention were associated with greater self-awareness of injury-related deficits.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study identified a number of variables that were associated with improvement in depression following psychological intervention and may assist future treatment resources to be directed most effectively.