Traumatic Brain Injury Training Program Value to Caregivers of Law Enforcement Officers, Fire Fighters and Veterans

Abstract

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the online, self-guided, interactive Traumatic Brain Injury Family Support Program (TBIFS) with caregivers of law enforcement officers, fire fighters, and veterans (SOPs, service oriented professionals) with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Participants (n = 38) were caregivers of SOPs with TBI in the United States. The participants completed an online pretest (T1) and a posttest immediately upon completion of the online TBIFS program (T2). The study used a within-subjects, nonexperimental evaluation. The main measures were: (1) knowledge of basic TBI facts; (2) self-efficacy, measured by the General Self-Efficacy Scale, and (3) hope, measured by the Herth Hope Index. Participants demonstrated significant improvements in knowledge (n = 38, p = .001, d = 1.20) and self-efficacy (n = 37, p = .006, d = 0.48) and a non-significant gain in hope (n = 38, p =.054, d = 0.32). Improvements in participant knowledge about TBI and confidence (i.e., self-efficacy) about dealing with issues related to caregiving were associated with their use of the TBIFS program. Future research should include a controlled experimental investigation with caregivers from more diverse backgrounds.