Consequences of Brain Injury on the Family
There are many consequences of a brain injury experience that can intensify the trauma and deplete personal and familial resources. Some of these consequences are:
- Marital relations can begin to deteriorate, and spouses may see separation, resignation, or divorce as the only way to save them¬selves from a situation they cannot handle.
- Siblings may act out as a result of the changes in the family and experience resentment, jealousy, and parental pressure.
- Substance abuse by a family member may develop as a means to cope with the stress and losses associated with a brain injury.
- Work performance of the injured family member may deteriorate and result in job loss.
- Individual family members, as well as the total family, can neglect themselves, both physically and emotionally, by not tending to their individual or mutual needs.
- Financial pressures can be seen as a cause of disharmony when, in fact, they may be symptomatic of underlying global stress that is more difficult to identify.
- Traditional support systems, such as friends and relatives, may remove themselves from supporting roles because of their inabili¬ty to respond to the emotional demands made upon them.
