Impact of Workplace Distractions in Persons with TBI: A Phenomenological Study with Implications for Clinical Assessment and Practice

Abstract

<h3>Research Objectives</h3> Recent studies indicate that compensatory strategies are an important mechanism for acquiring and maintaining employment for persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Both persons with TBI and employers endorse the need for compensatory strategies to mitigate the impact of environmental distractions. However, the extent to which distractions impact workplace performance and perceptions of workplace distractions for persons with TBI are unknown. This phenomenological study explored the experiences of seven individuals with TBIs and how they perceived workplace distractions to impact their productivity. <h3>Design</h3> A phenomenological approach was used to collect and analyze data from seven individuals with mild, moderate, and severe TBIs who had returned to work after an injury. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore participants' experiences with distractions at work. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. <h3>Setting</h3> Interviews were conducted via phone calls to reduce the possible exposure of COVID-19 and lasted between 45 to 60 minutes. <h3>Participants</h3> Participants (ages 20 - 65) were recruited using purposeful sampling in order to provide a rich description of the functional impacts of distraction for persons with TBI in the workplace. Participants were included if they had been diagnosed with a mild, moderate, or severe TBI, had been employed or completed volunteer activities in the previous six months and spoke English. <h3>Interventions</h3> N/A. <h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3> Semi-structured interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis in order to uncover a rich description of the lived experiences of persons with TBI and workplace distractions. <h3>Results</h3> Main findings centered around environmental distractions that impact task completion, consequences of distractibility, distractibility creating strong emotional feelings and perceptions about work performance, "gaming the system" of individual distractibility, and distractions that enhance task completion. <h3>Conclusion</h3> In light of this study's findings, researchers, programmers, and clinicians are encouraged to consider the wider impact of distractions on persons with TBI. Additionally, this study's findings provide an alternative perspective on traditional clinical inquiry methods and recommendations for managing distractibility in the workplace. Future research should include inquiries about both positive and negative distraction experiences to develop ecologically valid assessments and treatment tools. <h3>Author(s) Disclosures</h3> Authors have no conflicts of interest nor financial disclosures to declare.