SEMTBIS Research Activities

The following studies are just some of the current TBI research activities underway at Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan (RIM):

• Peer-Mentoring for Survivors of TBI and their Significant Others: A Model of Social Support
   
  This study is a randomized controlled trial of a peer-mentoring program for both survivors and their caregivers. The focus of this study is to determine the efficacy of a peer-mentoring program and to examine the relationship of this mentoring program to three main outcome areas: 1) knowledge and skills regarding access to resources and services; 2) quality of life; and 3) community integration. Moderators of successful peer-mentoring such as injury severity, co-morbid physical disease, education, neuropsychological status of the survivor, coping style, and personality/emotional factors will also be examined. A participatory action framework will be employed for the program, as well as for implementation, dissemination, and evaluation.
   
   
  
• The Reciprocal Relationship of Survivor and Caregiver Emotional Adjustment: Implications for Community Reintegration
   
  The purpose of this study is to identify characteristics of persons with brain injury and their caregivers associated with survivor distress and family dysfunction. We will investigate outcome within the framework of a traditional model, which views caregiver well-being as influenced by stresses associated with caring for a person with TBI, and within the framework of a dynamic systems model, in which the well-being of persons with TBI and their caregivers influence each other in a reciprocal manner. We will examine change in these processes as time from injury increases. A final objective is to identify areas for practical interventions designed to alleviate adverse outcomes experienced by all members of the family affected by TBI. In particular, we will look for avenues of family-based intervention that will improve survivor outcome.
   
   
  
• Driving after Brain Injury: Barriers, Fitness to Drive, and Community Integration
   
  This study examines the resumption of driving a motor vehicle and the extent to which driving influences community integration following TBI. Barriers to resuming driving, the role of significant others, and the relative validities of different assessments of fitness to drive (neuropsychological, driving simulator, and on-road evaluations) will be examined.

For a complete list of SEMTBIS and TBIMS research activities, please visit the
Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Research Registry