Post-traumatic growth in acquired brain injury: A preliminary small scale study

It's only 8 years old so I'm sure your doctor is using this to reinforce your mental  therapy.
http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02699050600664566

2006, Vol. 20, No. 7 , Pages 767-773 (doi:10.1080/02699050600664566)

• HTML
• PDF (71 KB)
• PDF Plus (72 KB)
• Reprints
• Permissions

Joanna Collicutt McGrath^1†and P. Alex Linley²

¹Oxford Centre for Enablement, Oxford, UK

²University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

^†Correspondence: Joanna Collicutt McGrath, Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford, 54, Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6PW, UK, 01865 284961, 01865 274215jcollicutt@aol.co.uk

Primary objective: To examine the nature, degree and time course of positive psychological change in people with severe acquired brain injury.

Research design: This preliminary exploratory study employed a cross-sectional design, comparing two matched samples, one early post-brain injury (M = 7 months) and one late post-brain injury (M = 10 years).
Methods and procedures: The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Sense of Coherence Scale-13 (SOC-13) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were administered.
Main outcomes and results: The samples differed significantly with respect to reported post-traumatic growth, with the late sample reporting higher levels. HADS anxiety was significantly associated with post-traumatic growth. Both samples achieved high scores on the SOC-13.

Conclusions: The participants showed evidence of substantial positive psychological change, demonstrating that it is not precluded by severe brain injury. The results suggest that this develops slowly over time and requires a degree of emotional engagement.

Read More: http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02699050600664566