Return to School Outcomes among Adults with TBI One Year After Rehabilitation Discharge: A TBIMS Study

ABSTRACT

Objective

To examine return to school outcomes 1 year after traumatic brain injury (TBI) rehabilitation discharge.

Design

Longitudinal observational study using Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems National Database (TBIMS-NDB) data at 1-year post-TBI.

Setting

Inpatient rehabilitation centers using follow-up telephone calls.

Individuals

Individuals (n = 237) enrolled in the TBIMS-NDB since 2001 between the ages of 18 and 59 years who were engaged in postsecondary education (full or part-time) before recorded TBI.

Main Measures

Return to school, categorized as in a postsecondary setting at first follow-up (reported hours in school greater than zero at one-year follow-up).

Results

Using an alpha level of 0.05 binary logistic regression analysis identified four predictive variables. Significant predictors of return to school include being of lower age, possessing a higher level of functioning at discharge, reporting lower ratings of disability at discharge, and being able to use a vehicle independently for transportation.

Conclusion

Pursuit of higher education is a viable means of community reintegration after TBI. Some individuals with TBI face a myriad of barriers and challenges when returning to school. Study findings may facilitate understanding of how TBI affects return to school and community reintegration outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Traumatic brain injury
• rehabilitation
• education
• employment
• unemployment
• social participation
• school
• treatment outcomes
• engagement
• community integration

Acknowledgments

(1) The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Rural Health’s Veterans Rural Health Resource Center in Gainesville, Florida. (2) The Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Model Systems (TBIMS) National Database. The TBIMS National Database is a multicenter study of the TBI Model Systems Centers Program, and is supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), a center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). However, these contents do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of the TBI Model Systems Centers, NIDILRR, ACL or HHS.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The content of this publication was developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), Grant ID # 90AR5017 to the Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Florida. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIDILRR, the University of Florida, University of South Florida, San Diego State University or Mississippi State University.