title: Children's longing for everydayness: life following traumatic brain injury in the USA.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Little is known about life after traumatic brain injury (TBI) from the child's perspective.
  
  
  METHODS
  This descriptive phenomenological investigation explored themes of children's experiences following moderate-to-severe TBI.
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  (1) 6-18 years of age at injury; (2) moderate-to-severe TBI; (3) ≤3 years since injury; and (4) English speaking and could participate in an interview. Children participated (n = 39) in two interviews at least 1 year apart. A preliminary model was developed and shared for participants' input.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six themes emerged: (1) it is like waking up in a bad dream; (2) I thought going home would get me back to my old life, but it did not; (3) everything is such hard work; (4) you feel like you will never be like the person you were before; (5) it is not all bad; and (6) some people get it, but many people do not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Social support was important to how children adjusted to changes or losses. Most children did adjust to functional changes by second interviews. Children had a more difficult time adjusting to how others defined them and limited their possibilities for a meaningful life.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 South Damen Avenue MC 802, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. roscigno@uic.edu
authors.forename: Cecelia I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Roscigno
authors.forename: Kristen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Swanson
authors.forename: Monica S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Vavilala
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Solchany
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology*; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D002648:Child; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014481:United States