Return to work after traumatic brain injury: A randomised controlled trial, long-term employment probability and predictors of employment status

Abstract

The aims of this thesis were to investigate: 1) the feasibility of delivering a compensatory cognitive rehabilitation intervention to individuals with mild and moderate TBI in Norway, 2) the effectiveness of a combined cognitive and vocational intervention compared to treatment as usual on employment outcomes after mild and moderate TBI, and 3) long-term employment probability and associated predictors up to 10 years after moderate and severe TBI. The compensatory cognitive intervention was found feasible in a Norwegian civilian sample with TBI. Compared to those who received treatment as usual, a larger proportion of individuals who received the combined intervention had returned to work 3 months following study inclusion. Employment probability remained stable up to a decade after moderate and severe TBI, and could be predicted by injury severity and specific sociodemographic characteristics. The findings demonstrate that interventions which include collaboration between healthcare and employment services may positively influence employment outcomes after TBI. The importance of providing regular follow-up to individuals at-risk of long-term unemployment after TBI is underlined.