ABSTRACT
The term “psychosocial” encompasses many aspects of recovery from traumatic brain injury and is used inconsistently from one study to another. It includes adjustment to disability, the ability to pursue a normal life, the ability to play a variety of social roles, the ability to maintain social relationships, quality of life, satisfaction with life, and the ability to cope with the practical and emotional demands of life as well as the losses experienced through brain injury. It can also include effects on significant others, such as family members, also potential employers, colleagues, and friends or acquaintances. Although cognitive impairment is not normally considered under the heading “psychosocial”, personality changes resulting from brain injury often are. Thus the concept cuts across the World Health Organization (WHO) definitions of impairments, disability and handicap.
