Trajectories of life satisfaction in Hispanic individuals over the 10 years after traumatic brain injury: A model systems study

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To identify life satisfaction trajectories at 1–10 years post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) and examine which demographic and injury characteristics at the time of injury are associated with those trajectories.

Methods

Participants included 1,051 Hispanic individuals from the multi-site, longitudinal TBI Model Systems (TBIMS) database. Individuals were enrolled after sustaining a TBI and while undergoing inpatient rehabilitation at a TBIMS site; they were included if they completed the Satisfaction with Life Scale during one or more follow-up data collections at 1, 2, 5, or 10 years after TBI.

Results

A linear (straight-line) movement of life satisfaction trajectories was the best fit to the data. Across the overall sample, life satisfaction increased over time, with higher trajectories for Hispanic individuals who had been partnered at baseline, born outside the US and experienced a nonviolent injury cause. There were no significant interactions between time and any of these main effect predictors, suggesting no differential change over time in life satisfaction trajectories as a function of these characteristics.

Conclusions

Results revealed increases in life satisfaction over time among Hispanic individuals with TBI and shed light on critical risks and protective factors that may inform targeted rehabilitation services with this underserved group.

KEYWORDS:

• Traumatic brain injury
• Hispanic
• Latino
• life satisfaction
• rehabilitation

Declaration of statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

Melissa M. Ertl was supported by Award Number T32 MH019139 (Principal Investigator, Theodorus Sandfort, Ph.D.) from the National Institute of Mental Health. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.