Quality of Life and Associated Factors in Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury : A Scoping Review

Purpose : This scoping review examined quality of life (QoL) and its associated factors among adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI), using a QoL framework to guide the analysis.Methods : Empirical studies were identified by searching four electronic databases with the keywords “traumatic brain injury” and “quality of life.” A total of 17 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review.Results : The main mechanisms of injury were motorcycle accidents, falls, and car accidents. Injury severity and the timing of QoL assessment varied across studies. The Short Form-36 (SF-36) was the most frequently used QoL measure, followed by the Quality of Life after Brain Injury (QOLIBRI) instrument. SF-36 scores ranged from 49.90 to 97.30, and QOLIBRI scores ranged from 41.83 to 71.61 (maximum score=100). When variables were categorized according to the QoL framework, depression, post-concussion symptom severity, anxiety, and fatigue were significantly associated with QoL in the Symptoms domain. Functional status, measured by the Glasgow Coma Scale or the Glasgow Outcome Score, was also significantly associated with QoL. Age (Characteristics of the individual domain) and social support (Characteristics of the environment domain) were also significantly associated with QoL.Conclusion : Adults with TBI reported reduced QoL, which was associated with symptoms (particularly depression), functional status, age, and social support. Future research should use TBI-specific QoL instruments to better capture its unique characteristics and determinants of QoL in this population.