The Benefit of HELPING OTHERS during Recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury

Transcription

1 The Benefit of HELPING OTHERS during Recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury Alison Fedio, PhD, PsyD Jessica Stillman, MA Sharon Cummings, PsyD Vanessa Buonopane Villaseñor, BS Paul Fedio, PhD American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University Washington DC Arlington, VA

2 Acknowledgements: Michelle Thyen, CVA Brain Injury Services Springfield, VA Research Assistants at ASPP: Simona Efanov, MA Stephanie Golden, MA Larisa Lasko, MA

3 HELPING Helping others in need, or helping to make your community a better place in which to live Can be done on your own or in a group Includes volunteer work (Frisch, 1994)

4 PLEASE THINK ABOUT A TIME WHEN YOU HELPED OTHERS What were you doing? thinking? feeling?

5 Meaningful, productive activities lead to: positive emotions/intrinsic rewards/well-being/ social interactions (Lozada et al., 2011; Musick, 2003) ELDERLY: functional dependence (Morrow-Howell, 2003) depression INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES: self-esteem and pleasure (Kinney et al., 1992) physical and mental fitness contributions to family and society; sense of belonging; socialization INDIVIDUALS WITH TBI: can enhance recovery following TBI (Wehman, 2005) can increase life satisfaction (Pierce et al., 2006) depression, cognitive problems, fatigue (Ouellet et al., 2009) activation and motivation

6 Individuals with TBI (Ouellet, Morin, & Lavoie, 2009) WORK/STUDY VOLUNTEER NONACTIVE Number: Characteristics: 208 participants TBI severity self-reported; full range 70% MVA Age open Time post TBI open Yrs post TBI: 7 yrs 11 yrs 6 yrs younger less fatigue more severe

7 Ouellet et al. (2009) RESULTS: WORK/STUDY VOLUNTEER NONACTIVE = > depression cognitive problems fatigue activity and motivation

8 PRESENT STUDY Characteristics of TBI Patients Age (yrs) 36 (23-59) Gender (Males, Females) 8M, 6F Handedness (Right/Left) 11R, 3L Education (yrs) 14 (11-19) FSIQ 99 [average range] TBI Time lapse since TBI (yrs) 4 (1-7.8) Etiology MVA (8) Fall (3) Blow to head (3) Severity (based on coma, PTA) 4 moderate, 10 severe

9 MEASURES Participants rated current and future satisfaction with their recovery in physical, cognitive, and emotional/ behavioral functioning using a 5-point Likert scale (ranging from Not at All to Completely). Patients also completed the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (2 nd ed.; personal, physical, family, social, moral; Fitts & Warren, 1996), as well as the Quality of Life (QOL) Inventory (Frisch, 1994), which provides weighted satisfaction scores across 16 areas.

10 RESULTS QOL HELPING vs. SATISFACTION RATINGS Future DEPRESSION (r=.72) Future COMMUNICATION (r=.79) Current AGGRESSION (r=.80) QOL HELPING

11 QOL HELPING vs. SELF-CONCEPT r=.73 TSCS2 Scales

12 QUALITY OF LIFE: HELPING vs. OTHER AREAS SELF-ESTEEM r =.66 COMMUNITY r =.62 WORK r =.73 HELPING CREATIVITY r =.83 r =.83 FAMILY r =.65

13 IMPLICATIONS HELPING OTHERS may influence one s manner and outlook regarding future expectations during recovery from TBI can help to sustain one s motivation and rehabilitation during TBI recovery Treatment should address pro-social behaviors as a means of improving recovery and enhancing dignity and quality of an individual s life

14 Encourage HELPING Behaviors As part of treatment: Discuss HELPING BEHAVIORS Homework/activities Group therapy interactions In the home and community: Everyday activities, including volunteering (Dunn et al., 2009; Godwin & Kreutzer, 2013; Ouellet et al., 2009)

15 Brain Injury Services, Springfield, VA Michelle Thyen, CVA Volunteer Placement Program Helps individual establish a volunteer job within the community and maintain a productive focus; serves as a bridge to returning to paid employment Speaker s Bureau Offers the opportunity for individual s to share their story while motivating audiences; individuals have the opportunity to present at nursing homes, universities, rehab centers, hospitals, etc. PALS Facilitates a mutually enriching friendship between a community volunteer and a client of Brain Injury Services in hopes that they socialize in the community and rebuild social skills through friendship Person-Centered Volunteering Offers the opportunity to build friendships through goal-oriented activities as decided by the clients, such as gardening, cooking, computer skills, exercise, etc. Supported Employment Program Provides individualized employment services for survivors of brain injury; one-on-one interaction with a BIS employment specialist assists individual with suitable employment goal setting, job assessment, job searches, on-site job training, follow-along support, and job retention

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17 Resources for volunteering in Virginia: 1. Virginia Service 2. Hands On Greater Richmond 3. Hanover County Department of Community Resources (Hanover County) 4. Rappahannock United Way ( Fredericksburg City, Caroline County, King George County, Spotsylvania County and Stafford County) 5. United Way of Greater Williamsburg Volunteer Center

18 6. United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area ( City of Charlottesville and Counties of Albemarle, Fluvanna, Louisa, Greene and Nelson) 7. Volunteer Alexandria 8. Volunteer Fairfax 9. Volunteer Hampton Roads, Chesapeake, Franklin, Gloucester, Hampton, Isle of Wight, James City, Newport News, Norfolk, Poqoson, Portsmouth, Southampton, Suffolk, Surry, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, York, Smithfield) Volunteer Loudon

19 11. Volunteer Prince William (Manassass, Manassass Park, Prince William County) Greater Augusta Volunteer Center (August County and Cities of Staunton and Waynesboro) Hands On Blue Ridge ( Alleghany County, Botetourt County, Craig County, Floyd County, Giles County, Montgomery County, Pulaski County, Roanoke City, Roanoke County, City of Salem) Volunteer Match Idealist Fairfax County, VA

20 FUTURE DIRECTIONS More research is needed re benefits of HELPING for individuals with TBI: Types of activities Frequency of activities When to initiate activities during recovery (Ouellet et al., 2009)

21 Finally Consider that even THINKING ABOUT YOUR HELPING BEHAVIORS might be beneficial

22 References Dunn, D. S., Uswatte, G., & Elliott, T. R. (2009). Happiness, resilience, and positive growth following physical disability: Issues for understanding, research, and therapeutic intervention. In S. L. Lopez & C. R. Snyder, Eds: Oxford handbook of positive psychology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Godwin, E., & Kreutzer, J. (2013). Embracing a new path to emotional recovery: Adopting resilience theory in post-tbi psychotherapy. Brain Injury, 27, Kinney, W. B. & Coyle, C. P. (1992). Predicting life satisfaction among adults with physical disabilities. Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 73, Lozada, M., D Adama, P., & Fuentes, M. A. (2011). Beneficial effects of human altruism. Journal of Theoretical Biology, Nov 21, 289, Morrow-Howell, N., Hinterlong, J., Rozario, P. A., & Tang, F. (2003). Effects of volunteering on the well-being of older adults. Journal of Gerontology, 58B, S137-S145.

23 Musick, M. & Wilson, J. (2003). Volunteering and depression: The role of psychological and social resources in different age groups. Social Science & Medicine, 56, Ouellet, M-C., Morin, C. M., & Lavoie, A. (2009). Volunteer work and psychological health following traumatic brain injury. J Head Trauma Rehabil, 24, Pierce, C. A., & Hanks, R. A. (2006). Life satisfaction after traumatic brain injury and the World Health Organization Model of Disability. Am J Phys Med Rehabil, 85, Ponsford, J., Kelly, A., & Couchman, G. (2014). Self-concept and selfesteem after acquired brain injury: A control group comparison. Brain Injury, 28, Wehman, P., Targett, P., West, M., & Kregel, J. (2005). Productive work and employment for persons with traumatic brain injury. J Head Trauma Rehab, 20,

24 QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?

25 THANK YOU!