Community integration and life satisfaction after traumaticbrain injury

Background: The community integration questionnaire (CIQ) was designed to assess home integration, social integration and productive activity in persons with acquired brain injury. The purpose of this study was to describe the relationship of the degree of community integration to the life satisfaction of persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Design: retrospective study of patients with TBI studied 1 and 2 years after injury. Method: Fifty-two patients admitted for rehabilitation setting, mean age 32.5 years, with a primary diagnosis of TBI, consented to participate, and interviewed 1 and/or 2 years after injury. To all the subjects recruited was administered over the phone questionnaire that measured the aspects of community integration and life satisfaction. Community integration was assessed using the CIQ, instead life satisfaction was assessed with Life Scale. Analysis approaches included Sperman’s Rho. Results: After one year a significant relationship (p<0.05) was found between life satisfaction and social integration and between life satisfaction and home integration (p<0.01, but no significant relationship was found with the other component of CIQ (productive activity). No significant association was found between the total CIQ scores and life satisfaction. After 2 years no statistically significant relationship were found between CIQ (total and their components) and life satisfaction. Conclusion: Our work suggests the need for rehabilitation programs to provide long-term assistance with community-based social integration in persons with TBI.