How Do TBIs Impact Your Relationships?

After suffering from a head injury, you will likely see many changes to your daily life. Some of these changes can last for weeks or months, while others last for years. They can even manifest in permanent ways, too.

You will have to readjust your life on many levels to accommodate these shifts. This may include the way that you handle and view your relationship with a significant other.

Changes in the division of responsibility

The Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center examines how TBIs can impact your relationship. In specific, many victims of moderate or severe head injuries will likely go through a long recovery period. In this time, you will have to focus on getting better. Prioritizing your health means you cannot prioritize many of the responsibilities you may have held before, such as managing household matters or going to work.

Shifts in interpersonal roles

On top of that, your role in the relationship may change, too. For example, you may struggle to complete chores that you once handled. You may suddenly find yourself increasingly dependent on your spouse instead of enjoying your previous levels of independence. Your spouse may find it even harder to adjust to these changes if you are already at a turning point in your marriage, such as the birth of a child or your last child leaving the home.

Due to these difficulties in adjustments, you and your spouse may share stress, anxieties, fears, and even anger at times. Some may fear this will threaten the solidity of the marriage. This is why many victims of head injuries and their loved ones eventually decide to consult with therapists to keep things on the right track, along with seeking financial compensation.