[Impact of acquired brain injury towards the community integration: employment outcome, disability and dependence two years after injury].
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the impact of acquired brain injury towards the community integration (professional career, disability, and dependence) in a sample of people affected by vascular, traumatic and tumor etiology acquired brain damage, over a two year time period after the original injury, and also to examine what sociodemographic variables, premorbid and injury related clinical data can predict the level of the person's integration into the community.


METHODS
106 adults sample suffering from acquired brain injury who were attended by the Neuropsychology and Neuropsychiatry Department at Hospital of Navarra (Spain) affected by memory deficit as their main sequel. Differences among groups have been analyzed by using t by Student, chi squared and U by Mann-Whitney tests.


RESULTS
19% and 29% of the participants who were actively working before the injury got back their previous status within one and two years time respectively. 45% of the total sample were recognized disabled and 17% dependant. No relationship between sociodemographic and clinical variables and functional parameters observed were found.


CONCLUSIONS
Acquired brain damage presents a high intensity impact on affected person's life trajectory. Nevertheless, in Spain, its consequences at sociolaboral adjustment over the the two years following the damage through functional parameters analyzed with official governmental means over a vascular, traumatic and tumor etiology sample had never been studied before.
Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra.Servicio Navarro de Salud-Fundacion Argibide, Pamplona, Espana.
P
P
Luna-Lario
Universidad de Deusto, Bilbao, Espana.
N
N
Ojeda
Complejo Hospitalario de Navarra. Servicio Navarro de Salud-Fundacion Argibide, Pamplona, Espana.
J
J
Tirapu-Ustarroz
Universidad de Deusto, Bilbao, Espana.
J
J
Pena
D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D062309:Community Integration; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D004651:Employment; D006801:Humans; D013030:Spain