Alignment Between Self-management Training and the Needs of Individuals with Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury: A Qualitative Analysis

Research Objectives: To investigate the alignment between self-management needs and strategies used by individuals with TBI and training provided by the Chronic Disease Self-Management Training Program (CDSMP) to determine if the training aligns with the needs of people with TBI.

Design: The study involved a secondary analysis of qualitative data from interviews conducted with individuals with TBI. The interviews focused on their experiences with community participation after TBI, including areas of work, school, community life, recreation & leisure, and relationships.

Setting: Interviews occurred via a secure video conference platform.

Participants: Interview participants included twenty-two community-dwelling individuals with a history of TBI. The average age was 48.6 years (SD 14.1), the average time since injury was 4.4 years (SD 2.8), and 68% had “mild” TBI.

Interventions: N/A

Main Outcome Measures: A codebook was developed based on the core self-management skills that form the foundation of the CDSMP. These skills include problem-solving, decision-making, using resources, relationships with healthcare providers, and taking action. Additional codes were added inductively based on the interview data.

Results: Several interview participants reported using self-management strategies to help support their participation, whereas others reported barriers to participation that aligned with self-management training, indicating a potential training need. In addition to the self-management skills that underlie the CDSMP, interpersonal relationship skills were identified as both important and a barrier to community participation.

Conclusions: The CDSMP self-management training skills appear to align with self-management strategies and needs identified by individuals with TBI. The results of this study suggest that future research should examine the effectiveness of CDSMP for individuals with TBI. Additional training or TBI-specific adaptations may be beneficial to address TBI-specific needs, e.g., managing interpersonal relationships outside of a healthcare setting.

Author(s) Disclosures: The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.