title: Social anxiety following traumatic brain injury: an exploration of associated factors.
abstract: Social anxiety (SA) following traumatic brain injury (TBI) has the potential to affect an individual's general psychological well-being and social functioning, however little research has explored factors associated with its development. The present study used hierarchical multiple regression to investigate the demographic, clinical and psychological factors associated with SA following TBI. A sample of 85 people who experienced TBI were recruited through social media websites and brain injury services across the North-West of England. The overall combined biopsychosocial model was significant, explaining 52-54.3% of the variance in SA (across five imputations of missing data). The addition of psychological variables (self-esteem, locus of control, self-efficacy) made a significant contribution to the overall model, accounting for an additional 12.2-13% of variance in SA above that explained by demographic and clinical variables. Perceived stigma was the only significant independent predictor of SA (B = .274, p = .005). The findings suggest that psychological variables are important in the development of SA following TBI and must be considered alongside clinical factors. Furthermore, the significant role of stigma highlights the need for intervention at both an individualised and societal level.
authors.affiliation: a Division of Health Research , Lancaster University , Lancaster , UK.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Curvis
authors.affiliation: a Division of Health Research , Lancaster University , Lancaster , UK.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5071-4077
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.affiliation: b Department of Clinical Neuropsychology , Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust , Salford , UK.
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hampson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000070642:Brain Injuries, Traumatic / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012649:Self Concept; D020377:Self Efficacy; D057545:Social Stigma; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Traumatic brain injury; psychological; social anxiety; stigma