Social Engagement among Community College Students with Traumatic Brain Injury.

Carulli, Lisa Anne; Olney, Marjorie F.; Degeneffe, Charles Edmund; Conrad, Gail

In this study, the authors aimed to discover how community college students with traumatic brain injury (TBI) engaged within the community college and beyond in terms of their lifestyles, goals, relationships, and strategies. A phenomenological research design was used. Interview data was recorded, transcribed, and coded. Students included 12 persons between the ages of 18 and 36 years of age, all of whom attended a community college in a large city in the southwestern part of the United States. Three themes emerged, which revealed various facets of their struggles in navigating post-injury relationships and social engagement. However, students were largely positive about their futures and had made dramatic adjustments. Study findings provide insights on how students with TBI in postsecondary settings perceive their post-injury relationships and social engagement. Study findings offer information to influence research, policy, and practices to serve the needs of students with TBI in postsecondary settings.

UNITED States; SOCIAL participation; BEHAVIOR modification; BRAIN injuries; COLLEGE students; COMMUNITY colleges; DATING (Social customs); FRIENDSHIP; GOAL (Psychology); HEALTH behavior; INTERPERSONAL relations; INTERVIEWING; PHENOMENOLOGY; DATA analysis software; MEDICAL coding; PSYCHOLOGY

Journal of Rehabilitation, 2018, Vol 84, Issue 4, p29

0022-4154

Academic Journal