The traumatic onset of disabling injury "in a marriage partner: Self-reports of the experience by able-bodied spouses

Abstract

This study explored the physical and emotional adjustment faced by female spouses of individuals who had suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI, n = 10) or a spinal cord injury (SCI, n = 5). Results of this preliminary investigation show that the sequelae of brain damage and SCI necessitate major psychosocial change for the injured partner and spouse. Spouses of TBI victims cited their injured partner's change in personality as a serious problem, while partners of SCI sufferers identified depression in the injured spouse as a major difficulty. At the same time able-bodied spouses also reported attempts to cope with their own feelings of loneliness, depression, frustration and stress. In the current study, issues such as time since injury, length of marriage , or whether the injured spouse had returned to work . were not seen as mitigating factors. Seventy percent of all the spouses expressed fears for what the future might hoid . The study confirms previous fiI~dings ·that the stress of living with a TBI or SCI victim can increase over time. It is suggested that there is a strong need for ongoing community counselling services and support systems for these subgroups.