Cultural variations in the understanding of traumatic brain injury and brain injury rehabilitation

Little is known about how people from different cultures experience and understand traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the process of brain injury rehabilitation. The Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit (BIRU) undertook a qualitative project to research cultural variations in the understanding of TBI and the rehabilitation process, interviewing 39 people with TBI and family members from Italian, Lebanese and Vietnamese backgrounds. The focus was on the reporting of sequelae of the TBI; valued qualities of service providers; barriers to effective communication; the role of the families in the rehabilitation process; and the experience of social stigma. Findings suggest there is a universal experience of TBI that transcends individual cultures. Study participants valued attentiveness, friendliness and guidance from rehabilitation staff. Family support was not always available to the person with TBI due to family conflict. Generally, people with TBI and family members valued the assistance of health interpreters facilitating their communication with rehabilitation staff. People with TBI from all three cultures experienced problems of stigma and social isolation. The findings have a number of implications for how brain injury rehabilitation staff can approach service provision to people from diverse cultural backgrounds.