The occurrence of a traumatic brain injury to a child can create substantial disruption and stress within a family. The family's ability to survive the trauma intact and adapt to the injured child is crucial since they are often the key to the child's successful rehabilitation and reentry into society. This article examines the potential impact of the injury upon the family and the complex array of factors that appear to be related to effective family coping and adaptation.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Blacher, J. (Ed.). (1984). Severely handicapped young children and their families--Research in review. San Francisco: Academic Press.
2.
Blazyk, S. (1983). Developmental crisis in adolescents following severe head injury.Social Work in Health Care, 80, 55–59.
3.
Bond, M.R. (1983). Effects on the family system. In M. Rosenthal, E.R. Griffith, M. Bond, & J.D. Miller (Eds.), Rehabilitation of the head injured adult (pp. 209–217). Philadelphia: F.A. Davis.
4.
Bristol, M.M., & Schopler, E. (1984). A developmental perspective on stress and coping in families of autistic children. In J. Blacher (Ed.), Severely handicapped young children and their families (pp. 91–141). San Francisco: Academic Press.
5.
Chadwick, O. (1985). Psychological sequelae of head injury in children.Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 27, 69–79.
6.
Darling, R.B., & Darling, J. (1982). Children who are different. St. Louis: C. V. Mosby.
7.
Deaton, A. V. (1987). Behavioral change strategies for children and adolescents with severe brain injury.Journal of Learning Disabilities, 20, (10), 581–589.
8.
DeMyer, M., & Goldberg, P. (1983). Family needs of the autistic adolescent. In E. Schopler & G.B. Mesibov (Eds.), Autism in adolescents and adults (pp. 75–90). New York: Plenum Press.
9.
Drotar, D., Baskiewicz, A., Irvin, N., Kennell, J.H., & Klaus, M.H. (1975). The adaptation of parents to the birth of an infant with a congenital malformation: A hypothetical model.Pediatrics, 56, 710–717.
10.
Eiben, C.F., Anderson, T.P., Lockman, L., Matthews, D.J., Dryja, R., Martin, J., Burrill, C., Gottesman, N., O'Brien, P., & Witte, L. (1984). Functional outcome of closed head injury in children and young adults.Archives of Physical Medicine Rehabilitation, 65, 168–170.
11.
Elkins, T.E., & Brown, D. (1986). An approach to Down syndrome in light of infant Doe.Issues in Law and Medicine, 1, 419–440.
12.
Ewing-Cobbs, L., & Fletcher, J.M. (1987). Neuropsychological assessment of head injury in children.Journal of Learning Disabilities, 20, (9), 526–535.
13.
Featherstone, M.A. (1980). A difference in the family. New York: Basic Books.
14.
Fisher, J.M. (1985). Cognitive and behavioral consequences of closed head injury.Seminars in Neurology, 5, 197–204.
15.
Frankowski, R.F. (1985). Head injury mortality in urban populations and its relation to the injured child. In B.F. Brooks (Ed.), The injured child (pp. 20–29). Austin: University of Texas Press.
16.
Gallagher, J.J., Cross, A.H., & Scharfman, W. (1981). Parental adaptation to a young han dicapped child.Journal of the Division for Early Childhood, 3, 3–14.
17.
Goldstein, F.C., & Levin, H.S. (1987) Epidemiology of pediatric head injury: Incidence, clinical characteristics, and risk factors. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 20, 518–525.
18.
Hill, R. (1949). Families under stress: Adjustmen to the crisis of war separation and reunion. New York: Harper.
19.
Hill, R. (1958). Generic features of families unde stress.Social Casework, 49, 139–150.
20.
Holaday, B. (1984). Challenges of rearing chronically ill child.Nursing Clinics of North America, 19, 361–368.
21.
Klaus, M.H., & Kennell, J.H. (1982). Parent infant bonding. St. Louis: C. V. Mosby.
22.
Lieberman, M., & Borman, L. (1979). Self-help groups for coping with crisis. San FranciscoJossey-Bass.
23.
McCubbin, H. (1979). Integrating coping behavic in family stress theory.Journal of Marriag and the Family, 42, 237–244.
24.
McCubbin, M. (1984). Nursing assessment of parental coping with cystic fibrosis.Western Journal of Nursing Research, 6, 407–422.
25.
McCubbin, H.I., Cauble, A.E., & Patterson, J.M. (1982). Family stress, coping, and social support. Springfield, IL: Thomas.
26.
McCubbin, H., & Patterson, J. (1983). Family transitions: Adaptation to stress. In H. McCubbin & C. Figley (Eds.), Stress and the family. Vol. 1 (pp. 5–25). New York: Brunner/Mazel.
27.
McKinlay, W.W., Brooks, D.N., Bond, M.R., Martinage, D.P., & Marshall, M.M. (1981). The short-term outcome of severe blunt head injury as reported by relatives of the injured person.Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 44, 527–533.
28.
National Head Injury Foundation. (1985). An educator's manual: What educators need to know about students with traumatic brain injury. Framingham, MA: Author.
29.
Nevin, R.S., & McCubbin, H.J. (1979). Parental coping with physical handicaps: Social policy implications. Paper presented at the National Council of Family Relations Annual Meeting, Boston.
30.
Oddy, M., Humphrey, M., & Uttley, D. (1978). Stresses upon relatives of head injured patients.British Journal of Psychiatry, 133, 507–513.
31.
Olshanky, S. (1970). Chronic sorrow: A response to having a mentally defective child. In R.L. Noland (Ed.), Counseling parents of the mentally retarded--A sourcebook. Springfield, IL: Thomas.
32.
Panting, A., & Merry, P. (1972). The long term rehabilitation of severe head injuries with particular reference to the need for social and medical support for the patient's family.Rehabilitation, 38, 33–37.
33.
Patterson, J. (1985). Critical factors affecting family compliance with home treatment for children with cystic fibrosis.Family Relations, 34, (1), 79–89.
34.
Prigatano, G.P. (1987). Recovery and cognitive retraining after craniocerebral trauma.Journal of Learning Disabilities, 20, (10), 603–613.
35.
Pueschel, S.M. (1986). The impact on the family: Living with the handicapped child.Issues in Law and Medicine, 2, (3), 171–187.
36.
Rosenthal, M., & Geckler, C. (1986). Family therapy issues in neuropsychology. In D. Wedding, A.M. Horton, Jr., & J. Webster (Eds.), The neuropsychology handbook (pp. 325–344). New York: Springer.
37.
Simeonsson, R.J., & McHale, S. (1981). Review: Research on handicapped children in sibling relationships.Child Care, Health, and Development, 7, 153–171.
38.
Solnit, A.J., & Stark, M.H. (1961). Mourning and the birth of a defective child.Journal for the Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 16, 523–537.
39.
Turk, D., & Kerns, R. (1985). The family in health and illness. In D. Turk & R. Kerns (Eds.), Health, illness and families (pp. 1–22). New York: Wiley.
