Understanding Social Support and Friendship: Implications for Intervention After Acquired Brain Injury

2000 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Rowlands
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Support Systems ◽  
Acquired Brain Injury ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Network Building ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wide Range

AbstractThis article reviews current literature on social support and friendship, loneliness and social isolation, and discusses these in the context of disability and specifically acquired brain injury. The examination provides a backdrop for considering interventions which aim to promote or regenerate friendships in the lives of people with this injury. The social consequences for individuals who have sustained an acquired brain injury have been well documented and are briefly reviewed. An understanding of the social support and friendship literature, reviewed in this article, is helpful for practitioners in designing interventions in the lives of this group of people, whose limited friendship and social support systems compromise quality of life and inclusion in the community. The article describes interventions that have been attempted to facilitate network building and friendship development for vulnerable or disadvantaged people in a wide range of contexts. The role of informal support systems is also discussed. A critique of these interventions is also presented and the conclusion reached is that while such models are not perfect and are often not rigorously evaluated, it is critical to provide assistance in order to achieve genuine social inclusion of people with acquired brain injury. It is their human right.

scholarly journals Physical Activity and Sport for Acquired Brain Injury (PASABI): A Non-Randomized Controlled Trial

Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 122
Author(s):  
Marta Pérez-Rodríguez ◽  
Saleky García-Gómez ◽  
Javier Coterón ◽  
Juan José García-Hernández ◽  
Javier Pérez-Tejero
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Functional Capacity ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Chronic Phase ◽  
Acquired Brain Injury ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Wide Range

Background and objectives: Acquired brain injury (ABI) is the first cause of disability and physical activity (PA) is a key element in functional recovery and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) during the subacute and chronic phases. However, it is necessary to develop PA programs that respond to the heterogeneity and needs of this population. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a PA program on the HRQoL in this population. Materials and Methods: With regard to recruitment, after baseline evaluations, participants were assigned to either the intervention group (IG, n = 38) or the control group (CG, n = 35). Functional capacity, mood, quality of life and depression were measured pre- and post-intervention. The IG underwent the “Physical Activity and Sport for Acquired Brain Injury” (PASABI) program, which was designed to improve HRQoL (1-h sessions, two to four sessions/week for 18 weeks). The CG underwent a standard rehabilitation program without PA. Results: Results for the IG indicated significant differences and large effect sizes for the physical and mental dimensions of quality of life, as well as mood and functional capacity, indicating an increase in HRQoL. No significant differences were found for the CG across any variables. Conclusions: The PASABI program was feasible and beneficial for improving physiological and functionality variables in the IG. The wide range of the activities of the PASABI program allow its application to a large number of people with ABI, promoting health through PA, especially in the chronic phase.

scholarly journals Impact of family social support on psychological wellbeing of infertile women attending Yusuf Dantsoho Memorial Hospital, Kaduna, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abubakar R ◽  
Zubairu HD ◽  
Yohanna S
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Psychological Wellbeing ◽  
Memorial Hospital ◽  
Infertile Women ◽  
Family Social Support ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

Infertility could be a life crisis with a wide range of socio-cultural and emotional problems. These social consequences are usually not voluntarily disclosed by the affected women and consequently do not receive adequate attention so the women continue to suffer in silence. The study aimed to determine the impact of family social support on psychological well-being of infertile women attending Yusuf Dantsoho Memorial Hospital (YDMH), Kaduna. The study was a cross sectional study conducted at the YDMH, T/Wada, Kaduna. Two hundred and fifty-four women who presented to the gynecology clinic during the study period and consented to participate in the study were recruited consecutively. Data on socio-demographics and family social support were determined using a self-structured questionnaire. Psychological wellbeing was assessed using a General Health Questioner. Data was analyzed using EPI-INFO statistical package. Majority of the participants were Northerners (70.1%), Muslims (91.7%), and Unemployed (52.8%) with an average monthly income of less than N 20,000 (73.6%). Most were within the age group of 25–30 years (40.2%) and from monogamous families (70.1%) with most families having 0–5 children (89.4%). 67.7% of the participants had adequate social support from their husbands as against 32.3% who had inadequate support (such as availability of financial, support encouragement, concern and sense of social belonging). Only 33.5% had adequate social support from their in-laws while majority of them (66.5%) had inadequate social support. A total of 203 (79.9%) of the participants had psychological distress (self-administered questioner) while 51 (20.1%) had no psychological distress. Husbands and in-laws support were significantly related to psychological wellbeing of the infertile women. Adequate social support provided by family members reduces stress, improves psychological wellbeing and quality of life of infertile women.

Serving Students With Acquired Brain Injury: Understanding Long-Term Need and Outcomes After the BrainSTEPS Program

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Jessica Salley Riccardi ◽  
Libby Crook ◽  
Brenda Eagan-Johnson ◽  
Monica Vaccaro ◽  
Angela H. Ciccia
Keyword(s):  
Brain Injury ◽  
Regular Education ◽  
Acquired Brain Injury ◽  
Transition Services ◽  
Student Outcome ◽  
Severe Injuries ◽  
School Based ◽  
Wide Range

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to inform school-based services for children with acquired brain injury (ABI) by describing and analyzing functional student-outcome data from a state-wide, school-based, school re-entry consultation program, BrainSTEPS (Strategies Teaching Educators, Parents, and Students), in Pennsylvania. Method: A nonexperimental, retrospective analysis was conducted with data collected during a pilot follow-up survey for BrainSTEPS. Caregivers reported on 337 students with ABI participating in BrainSTEPS. Results: Most students post-ABI who were participating in BrainSTEPS were enrolled in regular education and reported no ongoing symptoms, as well as no parent perception of need for additional BrainSTEPS consultation during the time period of the follow-up survey. Current receipt of therapy was significantly associated with injury type, χ 2 (1, n = 329) = 16.72, p < .001. A multiple logistic regression was significant ( p < .001) in predicting the need for additional BrainSTEPS consultation. More severe injuries, educational placement postinjury of regular education with a 504 plan (compared to regular education), and current receipt of therapy significantly increased the odds of need for consultation. Conclusions: Due to the wide range of experiences of students in this sample, hospital-to-school transition services, educational supports and services, and long-term follow-up must be individualized for children with ABI. Speech-language pathologists are critical members of the school-based academic team for students with ABI to decrease long-term unmet needs.

Hospitable universities and integration of refugees: First responses from Austria and Poland

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Kontowski ◽  
Madelaine Leitsberger
Keyword(s):  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Human Right ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
European Universities ◽  
Public Role ◽  
The Social ◽  
Academic Year

European universities responded in different ways to the ‘refugee crisis’ of 2015. Some subscribed to the agenda of higher education (HE) as a universal human right, while others stressed different long-term benefits of offering access to it. Yet, the unprecedented sense of moral urgency that guided immediate declarations of support and subsequent actions has largely remained unaddressed. With the crisis becoming a new reality for many countries, HE has a role to play in the social inclusion of refugees, even in countries that were not attractive destinations for refugees in the past. In this article, we provide an overview of the reasons why HE institutions supported refugees, and present the results of an empirical study of Poland and Austria during the 2015–2016 academic year. We then evaluate those first responses utilizing parts of Ager and Strang’s framework of integration, and discuss issues of institutional readiness, capabilities and the public role of HE stemming from this comparison. Our findings suggest that reasons such as acknowledgement of basic rights, or utilizing social capital are insufficient to explain and understand strong integrative support measures. We propose that refugee support by HE institutions is both better understood and promoted through the language of hospitality.

scholarly journals Any Chance for the Enforceability of the Human Right to Subsistence?

2020 ◽  
pp. 140-162
Author(s):  
Celia Fernández Aller
Keyword(s):  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
Social Rights ◽  
Legal Analysis ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Complex Issue ◽  
Philosophical Foundations ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Policies And Programs ◽  
The Right

It is not true that the idea of the right to subsistence should not give rise to much controversy. In fact, social rights are not considered as fundamental rights by everyone. The aim of this paper is to analyze whether abstract social rights –and the right to subsistence in particular- should be put in constitutions and laws and if judges should be given powers to interpret them. The philosophical foundations and the content of the right are studied and five great challenges are presented, although the most powerful one is to focus on the social and political enforceability of the fundamental right to subsistence. Assessing the effectiveness of the right to subsistence, and the right to food particularly, is a complex issue. In the legal discourse, the question seems to be only suggested.  Even when the Constitutions expressly recognize this right in some countries, its implementation faces many constraints. The progressive realization of ESC rights requires a complex interaction of policies and programs in a wide range of sectors and institutions.The scientific method used in this work is the legal-sociological method, regarding the understanding of the rules, the lack of them, their effectiveness,  etc.   Several methodological techniques have been used, such as social and legal analysis, legal deduction and induction, description and interdisciplinarity.

scholarly journals Afraid to leave the house: issues leading to social exclusion and loneliness for people with a learning disability

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 168-175
Author(s):  
Liz Tilly
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disability ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Barriers ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wide Range

Purpose Tackling social exclusion, which can lead to social isolation and loneliness, is an important current issue. People with a learning disability have a right to be full members of their communities, yet often experience social exclusion. Community connections play a key role in people developing reciprocal relationships. It is therefore important to know the barriers to full inclusion. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach This paper builds on an inclusive research project exploring these issues (Mooney et al., 2019) and aims to place that study’s main findings in a broader academic, policy and practice context. Findings Whilst there is a wide range of literature about social exclusion, lack of friendships and loneliness experienced by people with a learning disability, there is a gap in knowledge regarding some of the specific social barriers that prevent wider social inclusion, and therefore opportunities to make and keep friends. Originality/value This paper relates the findings of an inclusive research project to the current literature. It identifies the social barriers that limit community involvement and draws on the experience of people with a learning disability to find possible ways forward.

#3105 How does self-report of mood symptoms compare with observer assessments after acquired brain injury

2021 ◽  
Vol 92 (8) ◽  
pp. A15.3-A16
Author(s):  
M Paramlall ◽  
I Bakar ◽  
R Kandasamy ◽  
A Gadhvi ◽  
C Holloway ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Injury ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Objective Measure ◽  
Acquired Brain Injury ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Measurement Scales ◽  
Good Insight ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Insight Into

ObjectivesPost acquired brain injury (ABI) depression has been implicated in different patient outcomes such as prospective cognition, cognitive impairment, rehabilitation outcome, and quality of life. However, there have been no studies identified in the literature, investigating post ABI insight into depression across varied cognitive abilities. Here we looked at ABI patient insight into their depression across a range of cognitive abilities and compared this to an observed or an objective measure of depression.MethodsA retrospective cohort of 24 individuals with ABI (depressed and non-depressed) seen in a neuropsychiatry outpatient clinic between 2019 and 2020 completed a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), self-reported depression scale and had a Neuropsychiatry Inventory Questionnaire(NPI-Q), an observer assessment with a depression domain. The patients also underwent a formal cognitive examination using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).ResultsNon-depressed ABI and depressed ABI individuals with a wide range of cognitive abilities demonstrated good insight into their depression when matched to the observer rating. Chi-Square Test showed little variation between the PHQ-9 and NPI-Q Depression data sets; Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test: Z Test -4.08, p<0.001, Effect Size 0.87 and Spearman’s rho showed positive correlation between the two data sets (Correlation Coefficient 0.527, P<0.008). Therefore, there was a statistically significant agreement between the subjective measure (PHQ-9) and the observed (objective) measure NPIQD and that there was a positive correlation between the two measurement scales for patients with ABI regardless of cognition (as measured by MoCAz score; range -6 to 2.21, mean: -1.17)ConclusionsThese findings indicate (1) self-reported measures of depression in ABI are consistent with observed (objective measures) thus can be used to assess depression in this cohort and (2) ABI patients with a wide range of cognitive abilities would appear to have good insight into their depression.

scholarly journals Predictive Factors of Self-Reported Quality of Life in Acquired Brain Injury: One-Year Follow-Up

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 927
Author(s):  
Alba Aza ◽  
Miguel Á. Verdugo ◽  
María Begoña Orgaz ◽  
Antonio M. Amor ◽  
María Fernández
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Community Integration ◽  
Acquired Brain Injury ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Calidad De Vida ◽  
One Year

Background: The sequelae and disabilities that follow an acquired brain injury (ABI) may negatively affect quality of life (QoL). The main objective of the study is to describe the QoL after an ABI and identify the predictors of a better QoL. Methods: Prospective cohort study with follow-up measurement after one-year. The sample comprised 203 adults with ABIs (64% male) aged 18–86 years (M = 53.01, SD = 14.44). Stroke was the main etiology of the injury (55.7%), followed by a TBI (32.8%), and the average time since injury was 8 years (M = 8.25, SD = 7.83, range = 0.5–47.5). Patients assessed their QoL through the scale Calidad de Vida en Daño Cerebral (CAVIDACE self-reported version; “quality of life in brain injury” in English), an ABI-specific tool based on the eight-domain QoL model. Other variables measured were: depression, self-awareness, community integration, resilience, and social support at baseline and one-year follow-up. Results: The studied factors showed few significant changes over time. The analyses showed statistically significant differences in QoL scores in several sociodemographic (age, civil status, education, legal capacity, and dependency), injury-related (time, location, and comorbidity), rehabilitation, and personal-social variables (self-awareness, depression, social support, resilience, and community integration). The levels of dependency, depression, and satisfaction with social support were independent predictors of the total QoL score one-year follow-up. Conclusions: QoL after ABI depends on multiple elements that must be considered. There are factors such as satisfaction with social support, depression, community integration, and resilience that must be monitored throughout the rehabilitation process.

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