title: Coping strategies, social support, life orientation and health-related quality of life following traumatic brain injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study coping strategies, social support and life orientation in patients following moderate and severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) in relation to health-related quality of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-five patients with moderate or severe TBI and 68 control persons.
  
  
  METHODS
  Estonian versions of the COPE-D test, the Brief Social Support Questionnaire, the Life Orientation Test and the RAND-36 questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Persons with TBI reported using task-oriented and social/emotional support strategies less often and avoidance-oriented strategies more often than control persons (p < 0.05). The social support network, satisfaction with it and optimism as life orientation were lower in the patient group (p < 0.05). Task-oriented coping styles, satisfaction with social support and optimistic life orientation were associated with the majority of the domains of health-related quality of life and resuming work after TBI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To achieve effective rehabilitation and to enhance patients' well-being, it is important to improve the quality and amount of social support network, as well as to support patients' adequate coping efforts for promoting an active lifestyle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, University of Tartu, Estonia. tiiu.tomberg@klinikum.ee
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tomberg
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toomela
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pulver
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tikk
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D004957:Estonia; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires