Predicting Social Participation and Quality of Life in Individuals with TBI at Least One Year after Discharge from Rehabilitation.

This is an original follow-up study on predictors of social participation outcomes after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a prospective longitudinal cohort followed within a universally accessible specialized rehabilitation pathway. The analytic sample comprised 98 individuals with complete clinical data that participated in inpatient and/or outpatient rehabilitation programs at three health centers and completed the outcome measures at a minimum of one year after discharge. The study sample included 26 participants with mild TBI, 23 with complex-mild TBI, 36 with moderate TBI, and 13 with severe TBI. Two outcome measures were administered, the Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory-4 (MPAI-4) and the Quality of Life after Brain Injury (QOLIBRI) questionnaire, to investigate social participation and health-related quality of life outcomes in patients with TBI at least one-year post-rehabilitation. Hierarchical regression models assessed the significance of various pre-, peri-, and post-TBI potential predictors in relation to the two outcome measures. Results showed that significant predictors of social participation (MPAI-4 Participation scale) at least one year after rehabilitation included the MPAI-4 Abilities subscale score at intake (p = 0.032) and the delay to rehabilitation intake (p = 0.012). The 8-predictor multivariate model accounted for 33.5% of the variance in social participation. For quality of life as measured by the QOLIBRI, significant predictors were the MPAI-4 Adjustment scale at intake (p = 0.031), employment status post-discharge (p = 0.024), and sports-related cause of injury (p = 0.000). The 10-predictor multivariate model accounted for 45.8% of the variance in quality of life. Our study highlights the importance of following up on individuals with TBI and studying predictors of social participation and quality of life in the years following rehabilitation since they can vary in time. This could help to target appropriate services to develop and offer once rehabilitation has ended, to support favorable long-term outcomes following a brain injury.