He who has brain injury suddenly in his adulthood is under stress by the shocking event, which functions as a high level of tension and stress also to his family members. However, their adaptive attitude toward such a crisis also has a very important ...
He who has brain injury suddenly in his adulthood is under stress by the shocking event, which functions as a high level of tension and stress also to his family members. However, their adaptive attitude toward such a crisis also has a very important effect on his adapting himself to the event. A study of family adaptation has a great significance in the dimension of social welfare service for disabled persons having brain injury. Its highlighted importance revitalizes a study on family resiliency contributing to successful family adaptation.
Based theoretically on McCubbin & McCubbin(1996)'s Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation, this study, hereupon, aims at exploring how family stress and resiliency recognized by a person having brain injury who accounts for most of severe disabled persons affect family adaptation.
Data for this study were collected from 2 to 31 Oct. 2007 cooperated by the persons having brain injury who used eight welfare service centers for disabled people, two rehabilitation hospitals, two stroke day-care centers, one rehabilitation sports center and stroke disabled people association, which are located in Seoul, Gyunggi-do and Inchun. I finally analyzed 171 except 29 with poor responses among total 200 questionnaires.
Methods of analyzing the data included frequency analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis and hierarchical regression analysis by using SPSS/WIN 13.0 as well as residual analysis as prior analysis for testing hypotheses. Also, they included using Cronbach's Alpha to test the reliability of measuring instruments and analyzed variables.
The findings of this study are as follows.
First, testing the hypothesis of how family stress recognized by a person having brain injury affected family adaptation showed that in the condition that the influences of other control variables were controlled family stress was negatively related to family adaptation. That is, Hypothesis 1 was supported as family stress was in inverse proportion to family adaptation.
Secondly, testing the hypothesis of how family hardiness, family resources and problem-solving communication as the variables related to family resiliency recognized by a person having brain injury affected family adaptation showed that in the result from putting in the variables, family hardiness, family resources and problem-solving communication all had a significant positive effect on family adaptation. Namely, Hypotheses 2-1, 2-2 and 2-3 were all supported as family hardiness, family resources and problem-solving communication were in direct proportion to family adaptation.
Such findings will be said not only to be used as the basic materials for the systematic survey dealing with persons having brain injury but also to facilitate the development and research of social welfare program including assessing a family with a person having brain injury and developing family program for the person. Also, I could confirm the theoretical concept and usefulness for family resiliency by presenting concretely family hardiness, family resources and problem-solving communication as the variables of family resiliency affecting family adaptation and testing them as theoretical bases.
Finally, we will be able to develop family capacity strengthening program as social welfare program of using family hardiness, family resources and problem-solving communication as the variables related to family resiliency, family camp, couple counselling, family counselling, communication skill education and role play, and use them in the social welfare business for the families in family crises.