Attributions about persons with brain injury: The effects of knowledge and familiarity about brain injury

Abstract

Markers of brain injury interact with people's knowledge about brain injury in shaping people's attributions for the behaviour of persons with brain injury. When people attribute sequelae of the brain injury to other causes, this may hinder appropriate treatment.

A vignette-based study examining attitudes toward mental and brain illness in the United States and Pakistan.

“…Two mental and brain illnesses were included that applied to a wide age range, and to increase generalizability, more than one illness was included in each category (mental/brain). A systematic review was conducted to select vignettes that were relatively equal in length and did not mention the cause/controllability of the illness, which might influence responses (see Link et al, 1999, for depression and schizophrenia; Foster et al, 2013, for traumatic brain injury; and Subramaniam et al, 2017, for dementia). In addition, the names used in the vignettes were multicultural to be applicable in both countries.…”

Misconceptions about Stroke: Causal Attributions for Stroke-Related Symptoms Reflect the Age of the Survivor

“…For example, when a male adolescent with TBI had no visible signs of the injury, people attributed his undesirable behaviours to adolescence, whereas when he had markers of the injury (e.g., a head scar), people attributed these behaviours more to the injury (e.g., McClure et al, 2006). This attribution pattern is strongest when people are unfamiliar with TBI (Foster, McClure, McDowall, & Crawford, 2013; Linden & McClure, 2012).…”

“…One strategy is encouraging the stroke survivor (or their therapist) to inform others of their stroke where it would be helpful. People who are familiar with TBI attribute an injured person's symptoms more to the TBI than those who are less familiar (Foster et al, 2013). The same principle can apply to stroke rehabilitation.…”