A PROGRAM OF PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH IMPROVEMENT FOR CAREGIVERS OF PATIENTS WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

There is an increasing demand for the long-term care of people with traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI caregivers often experience psychological problems which require appropriate interventions to promote psychological health. The purpose of this reviewed paper was to determine effective interventions which improve psychological health among caregivers of people with TBI. The findings showed that the psychological problems of TBI caregivers were distress, burden, depression, and stress. The main components of the interventions were educational, psycho-education, skill training, and emotional support. The results concluded that combined methods of interventions could improve psychological health among TBI caregivers. However, psychological problems of caregiver’s still remain due to the unpredictable and dynamic conditions of people with TBI after discharge. It is suggested when applying the program, the monitoring on the effectiveness of program should be conducted continuously in the long term.