Online Family Problem-Solving Therapy Can Offset Impact of Traumatic Brain Injury
Children and teens who experience traumatic brain injuries (TBI) often struggle with everyday tasks, school performance, jobs and community interactions – and their families also struggle to help them recover and rehabilitate.
The only study to examine the long-term impact of family intervention programs finds that online sessions can result in long-term improvements in child functioning, particularly among families of lower socioeconomic status (SES). The study, led by Shari Wade, PhD, director of research in the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, appeared May 18, 2015 in Pediatrics.
Five centers enlisted 132 TBI teens ages 12 to 17. Sixty-five were randomly assigned to Counselor-Assisted Problem Solving (CAPS), a six-month web-based intervention program in which four licensed therapists used web training and follow-up video conference sessions using Skype to train teens and their families in problem-solving, communication and self-regulation techniques. Another 66 teens were assigned to an Internet Resource Comparison (IRC) control group, which involved self-guided, Web-based information and resources that families were encouraged to explore at least one hour a week. Both groups were tracked for 18 months.
Although children of lower SES typically have poorer outcomes following brain injury, findings from this study suggests that online problem solving may be especially beneficial for this population. Differences in functioning between the CAPS and IFC families were not evident until 12 months after sessions ended, “suggesting that the effects of problem-solving therapy delivered soon after injury may successfully generalize to the youth’s functioning in everyday settings over time.”
CAPS teens also performed better on tasks outside the home, including at work. “Given that adolescents with TBI are at risk of deficits in school performance and may have difficulty sustaining employment as they transition into adulthood, improving school and community functioning may be particularly important for long-term success.” said Wade.
