Social Participation in TBI

The issue this study addresses is that social participation in young adults with TBI is not widely researched, especially in OT’s scope of practice. Current TBI studies are focused on the why (why there is reduced participation) and how (interventions) to solve complications due to TBI, but not the what (what is impacted). The young adult population experience a myriad of contexts that influence their social participation, which in turn, affects their psychological and physical outcomes. There is currently no conclusive result of what aspect of social participation young adults (YA) feel are impacted the most due to their TBI. The purpose of this phenomenological research study will be to discover what areas of social participation are impacted the most in YA with a diagnosis of TBI. Creating more conclusive results about the perspectives of YA will lead to a better understanding of this population’s lived experiences. Data will be collected through qualitative interviewing with TBI clients and their caretakers. This interviewing will be conducted virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions. The findings that are expected to be found will be categorized in themes that describe the areas of social participation YA feel are the most impacted by their TBI. OTs treating this population with TBIs will be more aware of relevant client goals and incorporate the social participation aspect into treating physical and mental impairments. These findings support the use and success of client-centered intervention.