Dimensions of participation as predictors of satisfaction with roles and abilities after traumatic brain injury.

PURPOSE/

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine the relationship of participation dimensions with satisfaction with social roles and activities after traumatic brain injury (TBI).

RESEARCH METHOD/

DESIGN

Secondary analysis of baseline data from 127 participants enrolled in the MoodTracker intervention trial (https://ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT04410770). Participants (Mage = 35.24) were predominately male (64.6%) and non-Hispanic White (70.1%). Primary measures were the TBI Quality of Life scales for Satisfaction With Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities, Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities, Independence, Stigma, and Self-Esteem and the Participation Assessment With Recombined Tools-Objective Out and About, Social Relations, and Productivity subscales.

RESULTS

We performed a hierarchical regression to determine the unique association of different participation dimensions to Satisfaction with Social Roles and Activities. The Participation Assessment With Recombined Tools-Objective scores, representing the frequency of participation in activities, explained 18% of the variance (R² change = .177, p < .001) in Satisfaction with Social Roles and Activities. Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities and Independence, representing a person's perceived participation ability, explained 40% of the variance (R² change = .397, p < .001) when added to the model. Stigma and Self-Esteem uniquely explained 8% of the variance (R² change = .079, p < .001) when added to the model.

CONCLUSION/IMPLICATIONS: A person's self-perceived ability to participate and be independent makes a greater contribution to satisfaction with social participation than the frequency of participation. Enhanced understanding of the interplay of subjective and objective factors in influencing participation satisfaction after TBI may result in more effective interventions to support meaningful participation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).