The Self-Help Movement in Head Injury

The purpose of the research project reported in this article was to describe head injury support groups and compare them to other types of self-help groups. A 21-item questionnaire inquired about the impact, benefits, and description of the support group selected for study. Seventy-seven members of four randomly selected state chapters of the National Head Injury Foundation (NHIF) answered the survey. Eighty-two percent of the members felt that their membership was helpful in their adjustment. The perceived benefits of the groups were (a) to obtain information on head injury; (b) to be with others who were experiencing the same ordeal; (c) to increase awareness about head injury; and (d) to learn about available resources.