Finding a new balance in life: a qualitative study on perceived long-term needs of people with acquired brain injury and partners

Figures & data

Table 1. Characteristics of participants.

	People with Acquired Brain Injury (n = 17)	Partners^a (n = 19)
Age (mean, sd)	57.1 (10.8)	60.2 (7.6)
Gender, nr. Male	7	6
Education level^b	5.7 (0.6)	5.4 (0.5)
Living situation (person with brain injury), nr Alone With partner With partner and child(ren) Rehabilitation clinic^c	6 8 3	-13 5 1
Type of brain injury, nr^d Hemorrhagic stroke^e Ischemic stroke Traumatic brain injury Brain tumor Auto-immune infection	4 5 8	3 9 4 2 1
Years since (first) injury (mean, sd)	10.0 (7.6)	5.9 (6.0)

^aData on type of brain injury and time since injury refers to the PwABI

^bEducation level according to Verhage (28)

^cOne partner of a person with brain injury receiving inpatient rehabilitation at the time of the study was included in the convenience sample of an existing partner therapy group as the therapist deemed it therapeutically undesirable to split up the group (codes specific to this situation were not included in the analysis as the focus of the study lies with community-dwelling PwABI).

^dIn the case of multiple injuries, the first injury in adulthood was noted.

^eOf which one was a subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Figure 1. Themes and categories divided over several levels. *Category emerged only from partner focus groups, **Category emerged only from brain injury focus groups.

Figure 2. Proposed biopsychosocial classification of care phases after acquired brain injury.

Verhage F. Intelligentie en leeftijd: onderzoek bij Nederlanders van Twaalf tot Zevenenzeventig Jaar. [Intelligence and Age: investigations on Dutch persons from twelve to seventy-seven years]. Assen: Van Gorcum; 1964.

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