Caregiver burden : the effect of providing care for a person with a traumatic brain injury

It has been well documented that providing informal care for a person with a traumatic brain injury can be burdensome. The goal of this research was to discover the effects of two stressors, severity of daily hassles and distress caused by the behavioral problems exhibited by the person with the brain injury, and two supports, social support and income, on the caregiver burden and quality of life felt by caregivers.Data were collected using questionnaires sent via postal mail to members of the Brain Injury Associations of Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. Each packet contained a demographic questionnaire, the Social Provisions Scale, the Head Injury Behavior Scale, the Daily Hassles Scale, the Caregiver Burden Scale and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Ninety-one respondents returned usable protocols. Hierarchical regressions were utilized to analyze the data.When controlling for demographic variables, stressors were found to account for a statistically significant proportion of the variance in subjective caregiver burden but not in satisfaction with life. When controlling for both demographic variables and stressors, supports were not found to significantly predict either subjective burden or satisfaction with life. Upon further investigation, it was found that behavioral distress was most predictive of caregiver burden and the severity of daily hassles was the next most predictive variable of burden.This research was limited by the Midwest location of the participants and their lack of ethnic and gender diversity. Additionally, each respondent had access to support groups and they all had time to fill out the questionnaires. It is likely the case that many caregivers do not have this kind of support or the time to complete unnecessary paperwork. Finally, all of the factors affecting burden and quality of life for caregivers could not possibly be accounted for. Future research should account for a more diverse group of caregivers and assess some of the less frequently researched predictors. Scales more specific to caring for a person with a brain injury could be developed and utilized to explore sources of satisfaction for caregivers. Finally, more attention could be paid to the overall quality of life of caregivers.Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance ServicesThesis (Ph. D.