Self-Advocacy for Independent Life (SAIL) after TBI

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been conceptualized as a chronic health condition, warranting self-advocacy for health management services across the lifespan. Successful self-advocacy requires a combination of cognitive and communication skills (problem solving, organization, negotiation, etc), which may be impaired following TBI. This project focuses on developing and testing the efficacy of an intervention to enhance self-advocacy skills in individuals who have sustained TBI. This two-arm, randomized controlled trial will include approximately 74 participants, recruited in 4 waves of approximately 18-20 per wave, with each wave recruited from a different geographic area of the state. The primary hypothesis states that participants receiving the treatment intervention will demonstrate significantly greater improvements in self-advocacy beliefs (SAS) from baseline to post-intervention as compared to participants in the control group. Treatment will consist of interactive 4-session workshops along with 2 booster phone calls. Control participants will receive a copy of a self-advocacy workbook after all assessments are completed. Baseline, post-treatment and two follow-up assessments will take place.