Abstract
Primary objectives: To examine trajectories of employment probability and stability over the first 5 years after traumatic brain injury (TBI) by using multi-level modelling and multinomial logistic regressions.
Research design: A longitudinal cohort study.
Methods and procedures: One hundred and five individuals with moderate-to-severe TBI who had been admitted to the Trauma Referral Centre for the Southeast region of Norway were followed up at 1, 2 and 5 years after the injury.
Main outcomes and results: Employment status was dichotomized into employed and unemployed, while employment stability was categorized into stably employed, unstably employed and unemployed at 1, 2 and 5 years after injury. Being single, unemployment prior to injury, blue collar occupation, lower Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score at hospital admission and greater length of post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) were significantly associated with being unemployed at 1, 2 and 5 years post-injury. Further, younger patients, those with a lower GCS, greater length of PTA and greater length of hospital stay were negatively associated with employment stability.
Conclusions: It could be wise to target patient population with these demographic and injury characteristics for more extensive follow-ups and vocational rehabilitation to help improve employment outcomes following injury.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank all the patients for their participation. Special thanks to Nini Hammergren for assistance with patient registrations during the first 2 years post-injury.