Coping following acquired brain injury: predictors and correlates

Objective: To examine the determinants and correlates of coping styles in the chronic phase following acquired brain injury. Design: Chart review. Setting: Outpatient rehabilitation center. Participants: One hundred thirty-six persons with an acquired brain injury who were more than 6 months postinjury. Measures: Utrecht Coping List, Symptom Checklist 90, Stroop Color Word Test, and the 15-Word Learning Test. Results: Neuropsychological performance did not influence the use of coping styles. Persons with higher levels of educational attainment most often reported active problem-focused coping styles. Persons with a long time period since injury most often used passive reactions. More use of passive coping styles and less seeking of social support contributed significantly to higher levels of subjective complaints. Conclusions: Cognitive functions do not influence coping style. Passive emotion-focused coping styles in the chronic phase after injury are maladaptive. These findings emphasize the importance of training of adaptive coping styles as rehabilitation targets in the chronic phase, especially for persons with lower educational attainment.