title: Religion and spirituality in rehabilitation outcomes among individuals with traumatic brain injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The long-term consequences of traumatic brain injury affect millions of Americans, many of whom report using religion and spirituality to cope. Little research, however, has investigated how various elements of the religious and spiritual belief systems affect rehabilitation outcomes. The present study sought to assess the use of specifically defined elements of religion and spirituality as psychosocial resources in a sample of traumatically brain injured adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample included 88 adults with brain injury from 1 to 20 years post injury and their knowledgeable significant others (SOs). The majority of the participants with brain injury were male (76%), African American (75%) and Christian (76%).
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants subjectively reported on their religious/spiritual beliefs and psychosocial resources as well as their current physical and psychological status. Significant others reported objective rehabilitation outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to determine the proportion of variance in outcomes accounted for by demographic, injury related, psychosocial and religious/spiritual variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results indicate that religious well-being (a sense of connection to a higher power) was a unique predictor for life satisfaction, distress and functional ability whereas public religious practice and existential well-being were not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of this project indicate that specific facets of religious and spiritual belief systems do play direct and unique roles in predicting rehabilitation outcomes whereas religious activity does not. Notably, a self-reported individual connection to a higher power was an extremely robust predictor of both subjective and objective outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
authors.forename: Brigid
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Waldron-Perrine
authors.forename: Lisa J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Rapport
authors.forename: Robin A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hanks
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lumley
authors.forename: Sarah-Jane
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Meachen
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hubbarth
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D020208:Brain Injury, Chronic / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003469:Culture; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005086:Existentialism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012944:Social Support; D029181:Spirituality; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult