Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in children. Many brain-injured children suffer a variety of cognitive, behavioral, social, emotional, and physical disabilities that makes it difficult for them to integrate back into their family and community. Prior studies have defined outcomes of TBI by indices of survival, injury severity, functional ability, or neuro-psychological status. While parents are commonly used as proxy after a TBI (they complete self-report measures on behalf of their child), they may not have a complete understanding of their child's lived experiences. Noticeably lacking are studies that focus on the child's own perceptions of daily life after injury. This is a descriptive phenomenological study of children 8-1 2 years of age who are living at home and who are from 3 to 12 months post TBI. The purpose is to describe the lived experiences of children following TBI, and the factors children deem important to their health and well-being. Interviews with parents will also be conducted to understand their proxy version of what life post TBI is like for their child. This study will be instrumental in describing how children perceive their life after TBI and how well parents are able to approximate their child's perspective. The knowledge gained from this study will be essential to defining nursing therapeutics that are relevant to enhancing the well-being and recovery of children living with TBI.
