Family Functioning, Community Participation, and Rehabilitation Barriers in the Acquired Brain Injury Community: An Exploratory Analysis

Acquired brain injury (ABI) is the second most common cause of disability in America. Prior research highlights family functioning as an important predictor of psychosocial outcomes in the ABI population; however, there remains limited research aimed at understanding the role of family functioning in predicting rehabilitation progress and community participation. A quantitative, exploratory, descriptive research design was used for this study. A total sample of 49 individuals with mild-to-moderate ABI were recruited from a university medical center and outpatient rehabilitation center. Participants completed measures of demographics, community participation, family functioning, and perceived rehabilitation barriers. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression (MR) analysis. Two MR models were examined, one with rehabilitation barriers as the dependent variable and one with community participation as the dependent variable. Financial support and perceived rehabilitation barriers contributed significantly to variance in community participation satisfaction, while financial support, family functioning, and community participation satisfaction each accounted for a significant portion of variance in perceived rehabilitation barriers. Overall, the full MR 1 model accounted for 33% of variance in community participation satisfaction, while the full MR 2 model accounted for 51% of variance in perceived rehabilitation barriers. Although more research with larger, more diverse samples is needed, this study provides rehabilitation and counseling professionals with important psychosocial concepts to consider in assessment and treatment and helps clarify the role of family in promoting positive rehabilitation and participation outcomes in the ABI community.