Aspects of caregiver distress after severe head injury

The caregivers of 22 severely head-injured individuals were interviewed at 6 and 12 months post injury to obtain information about the extent of their distress and to investigate the relationship between their distress and two aspects of burden: caregivers' perceptions of the head-injured person's problems and an objective assessment of functional independence. Caregivers reported high levels of distress. The factors associated with caregiver distress included the number of perceived problems at 6 months post injury, the overall level of disability, and certain aspects of functional independence at both 6 and 12 months, particularly if the person required assistance with self-care and home-based tasks. Implications for rehabilitation of both the head-injured individual and his or her caregivers are examined, especially with reference to issues surrounding return to the community.