title: "In my before life": relationships, coping and post-traumatic growth in adolescent survivors of a traumatic brain injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Explore the individual, adolescent phenomeno-logy of quality of life after traumatic brain injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adolescent survivors of traumatic brain injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative interviews with 10 adolescents, mean age at assessment 17.09 years (SD 1.81). Mean time since injury 4.62 years (SD 2.89). Data were analysed using a primarily interpretative phenomenological analysis approach.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two major findings: (1) perceived quality of life was not automatically impacted by a traumatic brain injury, but when it was, the directionality of impact (positive, negative) varied depending on the life-domain; (2) changes in ability post-traumatic brain injury were attributed to the injury (more often cognitive and physical changes) or to a sense of normal maturation processes (72% and 28%, respectively). Attribution processing permeated themes of personal and social discrepancies, which also yielded themes of: altered family and relationships, roles, responsibilities, independence, coping and post-traumatic growth. All participants reported a happy life at the time of interview.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The adolescents' appraisal of their identity from pre- to post-injury life was related to their current sense of well-being. Most notably was the sense of balance; participants addressed the negative and positive consequences of brain injury to qualify their sense of wellbeing.
authors.affiliation: Child Neuropsychology, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, 3052 Parkville, Australia. ashley.dibattista@mcri.edu.au.
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Battista
authors.forename: Celia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Godfrey
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Soo
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Catroppa
authors.forename: Vicki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology*; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life; D012648:Self Care; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D058992:Social Participation; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*