Changes in perspectives of disability among patients, staff, and relatives during rehabilitation of brain injury.

Studied retrospectively changes in behavioral competency ratings of staff, patients, and relatives over the course of an intensive rehabilitation program for 3 groups of 28 seriously brain-damaged patients (aged 19–44 yrs). Group 1 included patients with perspectives similar to those of their social environment. They had more initial emotional distress and showed nonsignificantly less neuropsychological impairment than did Ss in Groups 2 and 3, who greatly underestimated their impairments compared to staff and relative ratings. Ratings of Group 2 Ss became better aligned with staff members and relatives' perspectives at discharge, while Group 3 showed increased divergence from staff and relative ratings. By discharge, Group 1 had reduced emotional distress, while distress increased for Groups 2 and 3. Alignment among perceived behavioral competency ratings was not related to vocational outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)