Differences in social participation between individuals who do and do not attend brain injury drop-in centres: A preliminary study

OBJECTIVE: To compare social participation for individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) ≥1 year post-injury who attend brain injury drop-in centres (BIDCs) with individuals who do not attend but were identified as potentially benefitting from attending. RESEARCH DESIGN: Cross-sectional study with 23 individuals attending BIDCs and a comparison group of 19 individuals not attending. KEY OUTCOME MEASURES: Community Integration Questionnaire, Social Provisions Scale and Adult Subjective Assessment of Participation. MAIN RESULTS: The comparison group was found to consist of 12 participants who stated that they would attend a BIDC ('Yes sub-group') and seven participants who stated that maybe they would attend a BIDC but for the most part were too busy ('Maybe sub-group'). The BIDC group was found to have statistically significantly higher levels of social participation than the comparison group and particularly the 'Yes sub-group'. CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide support that attendance at BIDCs may benefit social participation. Future directions for research are suggested.