Abstract
Objective: To examine the incidence and intercorrelation of early impaired self-awareness (ISA) and depression after traumatic brain injury (TBI), as well as their contributions to prediction of patients' subjective well-being at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation.
Design: Inception cohort.
Setting: Inpatient rehabilitation.
Patients: Subjects were 96 patients with TBI seen for inpatient rehabilitation at the Methodist Rehabilitation Center. All subjects had emerged from posttraumatic amnesia prior to assessment for this study.
Intervention: None.
Main Outcome Measure: Subjective well-being as measured by the Satisfaction With Life Scale taken at discharge from inpatient rehabilitation.
Results: Multivariable linear regression analysis revealed that ISA and functional status (Disability Rating Scale total score) at rehabilitation admission made independent contributions to prediction of subjective well-being. Bivariable correlational analyses demonstrated that frequency of depressive symptoms was inversely correlated with Satisfaction With Life Scale scores. Impaired self-awareness and depression were not correlated in this sample.
Conclusions: Results support the idea that ISA is an important factor in determining subjective well-being in patients with TBI at acute rehabilitation discharge. Early interventions to decrease ISA may improve patients' functional status at rehabilitation discharge.