Rehabilitation for women under 65 years with Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a global health concern and a leading cause of long-term disabilities and fatalities worldwide. TBI is defined as an alteration to brain function caused by an external force, with common mechanisms of injury including falls, road accidents, sporting injuries and assault. TBI can result in significant consequences for the affected individual, with long-term effects on motor, sensory, cognitive, communication, and behavioral factors. Family members also experience impact as they often act as support persons for extended periods.

The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare's statistical database indicates that approximately 10,000 individuals annually receive inpatient care for TBI, with 50 percent being over 65 years old. Around 20,000 individuals receive outpatient treatment. Men are affected by TBI 2.2 times more often than women. This significant epidemiological difference has resulted in less examination and research on recovery and rehabilitation for women affected by TBI. Research suggests that women's experiences of the effects of TBI differ from those of men. This might be due to differences in demographic and injury-related factors, along with social and biological variables that existed before the injury.

Rehabilitation for TBI in men and women should be differentiated and tailored to provide more effective healthcare and rehabilitation.

The overarching aim of the research project is to develop and test a group intervention specifically targeted at women under 65 years old with TBI.

The project consists of four sub-studies:
I. A scoping review to investigate the research status.
II. Focus group interviews with women to understand their experiences and identify interventions and content they perceive as important for recovery and rehabilitation.
III. Developing an intervention and testing it on a small scale.
IV. A multicenter study to test the intervention.

The project will employ co-design methodology and will be conducted in collaboration with Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, Australia (LHAU).