Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Case Study

Approximately 20% (320,000) of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are estimated to have mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Mild traumatic brain injury, defined as an injury to the brain as a result of blunt trauma or a jolt to the head, is considered the most widespread and undertreated injury of soldiers. Despite the lack of physical injuries, mTBI affects both the soldiers and their families, hindering family reintegration when the soldier returns home. This study is the first to examine reintegration experiences of both injured soldiers and their spouses following combat-related mTBI. Through the description of the reintegration process researchers sought to understand family integration experiences and coping processes. The study sample consisted of nine soldiers with mild traumatic brain injury and their spouses. All soldiers were between two and 24 …show more content…
The study also showed that changes in a soldier’s mood and short-term memory impact a couples relationship and ability to communicate, and almost all couples indicated the post-mTBI symptoms impacted their marital relationship. Many spouses reported feeling as though they were “walking on eggshells”, congruent with the soldiers account of irritability. Family reintegration was also influenced by the spouse’s prior reintegration experience and the soldier’s length of time in the military. Generally, soldiers with longer time in the Army and more mature marriages were better able to adapt to post-injury changes and a “new normal’ than newly married couples whose Army careers had recently begun. Unlike other studies, this study included accounts from both soldiers suffering with mTBI and their spouses, offering a greater understanding of the challenge married couples face following post-mTBI