Impact of TBI on caregivers of veterans with TBI: Burden and interventions

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Describe State-of-the-Art in practice and research in caregiving with individuals, specifically, Veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the implications for current practice and future research. Sources: Professional literature and personal experience of review panel.

Main Outcomes: Unpaid caregiving for individuals with TBI is most often provided by a spouse, parent or other blood relative; the majority of caregivers are women. Although caregiving can be rewarding, it also may create financial burden and psychological stress. Depression among family caregivers occurs four times more frequently than in the general population. Positive coping can help reduce the impact of stress, and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programmes are available to ease financial burden. Group interventions show promise in reinforcing and improving positive coping for both family caregivers and Veterans with TBI.

Conclusions: Identifying the specific needs of caregivers and families of Veterans with TBI and other traumatic injuries, including post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), will require further longitudinal research. Currently available group interventions and programmes appear to benefit injured Veterans and their family caregivers financially and psychologically. Increased understanding of characteristics of quality family caregiving and its long term costs and benefits is likely to lead to additional improvements in these interventions and programmes.

KEYWORDS:

• Caregivers
• Brain Injury
• Veterans

Acknowledgments

Dr. Van Houtven thanks Katherine Miller for research assistance in this article, and Meg Kabat, Margaret Campbell-Kotler, Jennifer Henius and the VA CARES team for their valuable input. The authors also thank the caregivers and other participants in the VA State-Of-The-Art Conference discussion on which this article is based.

Funding

Dr. Van Houtven’s work on this project was partially funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Caregiver Support Program and Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (PEC 14-272). She also received support from the Durham VA Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

Dr. Van Houtven’s work on this project was partially funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Caregiver Support Program and Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (PEC 14-272). She also received support from the Durham VA Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care.