Brain Injury Recovery Facilitated by Spirituality

Experts have determined in a new study that people who are recovering from traumatic brain injuries (TBI) tend to fare a lot better if they are spiritual than if they are not. A spiritual relationship has been linked to positive outcomes when it comes to healing in other studies as well.

The investigation was led by Wayne State University (WSU) experts Brigid Waldron-Perrine, PhD and Lisa J. Rapport, PhD. Details of the work appear in the latest issue of the respected medical journal Rehabilitation Psychology.

Given the relatively large number of papers suggesting that either religion or spirituality are aiding in recovery, experts at the university decided to investigate the correlation on their own. They found that a positive connection indeed exists.

Researchers decided to focus their efforts on traumatic brain injuries because the condition affects some 1.7 million people in the United States alone, every single year. TBI is defined as a disruption of normal brain functions, that can appear as a result of an accident or attack.

The huge numbers of patients, derived from official statistics published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), means that studies conducted in this field could help many people reach a better quality of life.

Brain injuries oftentimes result in debilitating, long-term problems for patients. An elevated risk of mental and physical problems is common, while rehabilitation is slow. This is why researchers were surprised to see spirituality make a difference.

“Among healthy adults, religion and spirituality have shown strong association with improved life satisfaction and physical and mental health outcomes,” Waldron-Perrine explains. She conducted the work on 88 test subjects, most of which were male African-American Christians.

The vast majority of people who reported having a connection with a spiritual or higher power tended to go through the rehabilitation process faster, and with less emotional and physical side-effects.

“Individuals cope with the tools available to them, and perhaps especially for those with limited means and few alternatives, religion can take on great power as a psychosocial resource,” Waldron-Perrine concludes, quoted by PhysOrg.