Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-l4dxg Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-11T02:55:23.277Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Social interaction following severe closed head injury

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

L. Elsass  and
G. Kinsella
L. Elsass
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
G. Kinsella*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr G. Kinsella, Department of Psychology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, 3083 Victoria, Australia
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Synopsis

This paper describes research which sought to investigate and describe the interpersonal relationships and vulnerability to psychiatric disturbance in severely closed head injured subjects. The head injured subjects were severely injured, with mild or extremely severely injured individuals being excluded from this study. Self-report by the injured individual was compared with relatives' reports. Fifteen head injured people were individually matched with non-head injured people from the general population who acted as controls. Each subject nominated one ‘close other’ for comparative interview. The dependent variables included interpersonal relationships, non-psychotic psychiatric disturbance and behavioural change.

The head injured group differed significantly from the control group in the quantity of interaction but not in the perceived quality of interaction. The groups differed significantly on behavioural change. No significant difference was found between responses given by the head injured and their ‘close other’ compared with the controls. Deficient quantity of interpersonal relationships and greater vulnerability to psychiatric disorders was shown in this sample. Further research on the assessment of long-term social outcome and psychiatric stability in the head injured could assist in the improved long-term rehabilitation of the survivors.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , February 1987 , pp. 67 - 78
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1987

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Blyth, B. (1981). The outcome of severe head injuries. New Zealand Medical Journal 93, (682), 267–269.Google ScholarPubMed
Bond, M. R. (1975). Assessment of the psychosocial outcome after severe head injury. In Outcome of Severe Damage to the Central Nervous System. Ciba Foundation Symposium 34, pp. 141–153. Elsevier-Excerpta Medica: Amsterdam.Google Scholar
Bond, M. R. & Brooks, D. N. (1976). Understanding the process of recovery as a basis for the investigation of rehabilitation for the brain injured. Scandinavian Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 8,127–133.Google Scholar
Brown, G. W., Bhrolchain, M. N. & Harris, T. (1975). Social class and psychiatric disturbance among women in an urban population. Sociology 9, 225–254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldberg, D. P. (1972). The Detection of Psychiatric Illness by Questionnaire. Oxford University Press: London.Google Scholar
Hays, W. L. (1973). Statistics for the Social Sciences. Holt, Rinehart & Winston: New York.Google Scholar
Henderson, S. (1977). The social network, support and neurosis: the function of attachment in adult life. British Journal of Psychiatry 131, 185–191.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Henderson, S., Byrne, D. G. & Duncan-Jones, P. (1977). Neurosis and the Social Environment. Academic Press: Sydney.Google Scholar
Henderson, S., Duncan-Jones, P., McAuley, H. & Ritchie, K. (1978). The patients primary group. British Journal of Psychiatry 132, 74–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Henderson, S., Byrne, D. G., Duncan-Jones, P., Adock, S., Scott, R. & Steele, G. P. (1981). Social bonds in the epidemiology of neurosis: a preliminary communication. British Journal of Psychiatry 132, 463–466.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jennett, B., Snoek, J., Bond, M. R. & Brooks, N. (1981) Disability after severe head injury. observations on the use of the Glasgow Outcome Scale. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 44, 285–293.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lishman, W. A. (1973). The psychiatric sequence of head injury: a review. Psychological Medicine 3, 304–318.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, P. McC & Ingham, J. G. (1976). Friends, confidants and symptoms. Social Psychiatry 11, 51–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oddy, M., Humphrey, M. & Uttley, D. (1978 a). Stresses upon the relatives of head-injured patients. British Journal of Psychiatry 133, 507–513.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Oddy, M., Humphrey, M. & Uttley, D. (1978 b). Subjective impairment and social recovery after closed head injury. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 41, 611–616.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Romano, M. D. (1974). Family response to traumatic head injury. Scandinavian Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 6, 1–4.Google ScholarPubMed
Skeikh, K., Smith, D. S., Meade, T. W., Goldenberg, E., Brennan, P. J. & Kinsella, G. (1979). Repeatability and validity of a modified activities of daily living (ADL) index in studies of chronic disability. International Rehabilitation Medicine 1, 51–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tennant, C. (1977). The General Health Questionnaire: a valid index of psychological impairment in Australian populations. The Medical Journal of Australia 2, 392–394.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thomsen, I. V. (1974). The patient with severe head injury and his family. Scandinavian Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 6, 180–183.Google ScholarPubMed
Weddell, R., Oddy, M. & Jenkins, D. (1980). Social adjustment after rehabilitation: a two year follow-up of patients with severe head injury. Psychological Medicine 10, 257–263.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed