Are spousal partner perceptions of continuity and discontinuity within the relationship linked to the symptoms of acquired brain injury?

Discontinuity has been linked with relationship dissatisfaction and dysfunction, greater burden and distress, and a less person-centred approach to the provision of care. Identifying which symptoms contribute to discontinuity may enable partners to be more effectively supported in terms of how they make sense of and react to those symptoms, so that a greater sense of continuity may be retained.Implications for rehabilitationIn a marriage/partnership after brain injury, some people struggle to maintain the loving relationship they shared with the person with the brain injury before the injury. This has an impact on the psychological wellbeing of the couple and on the quality of care provided.Certain symptoms of the brain injury may make it more difficult to maintain the loving pre-injury relationship.These include aggression, depression, a lack of emotional warmth within the relationship, and more general difficulties in making conversation.Caregivers dealing with these symptoms may need extra support in making sense of, and coming to terms with, these changes.