Family factors supporting flourishing in adolescents with traumatic brain injury: The roles of family resilience and structure

Pediatric traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can have lasting effects on a child’s functioning and create new stresses for their family. Given the precariousness of adolescent-family dynamics, this study examines the relationship between family resilience, family structure, and overall flourishing in adolescents with TBI. A total of 1,393 adolescents from a large national dataset were included. Regression analysis revealed family resilience and family structure significantly contributed to flourishing. Adolescents from low resilience families were 59.5% less likely to demonstrate flourishing variables. As were adolescents from single parent (39%), unmarried (61%), and grandparent/other (41%) family structures. The relationship between family resilience and flourishing reveals a potential avenue for family-based intervention. These findings invite further study into the role of family structure on post injury outcomes.