Traumatic Brain Injury: Reclaiming ‘Self’ Through Voluntarism

This research investigated how volunteering influenced identity construction in individuals with traumatic brain injury. Focus group data and quality of life/depression assessments of three participants with TBI, was examined before and after volunteering experiences. A phenomenological qualitative approach was utilized to identify themes that emerged in both focus groups relative to identify. Pre and post assessment scores of the Brain Injury Grief Inventory (BIGI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and LaTrobe Communication Questionnaire were analyzed qualitatively. Results indicated volunteering did not profoundly alter the participant’s sense of self, but it appeared as a catalyst in process of reclaiming the self.