ABSTRACT

Research shows that gender influences men’s health-related beliefs and behaviours – including those within the context of traumatic brain injury (TBI) – making it a factor that should be considered when designing and implementing interventions for this population. To incorporate an understanding of such gendered influences in future educational materials for men with TBI, as well as their caregivers and clinicians, this qualitative study was informed by social constructionism, and aimed to explore how gender is related to men’s post-TBI perceptions and behaviours in rehabilitation and recovery. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 men with mild and moderate-severe TBI at the acute (≤ 3 months post-TBI) and chronic (> 3 months post-TBI) phases of injury. A reflexive thematic analysis approach was applied to interview data, guided by the concept of hegemonic masculinity as described by Connell, R.W. (2005. Masculinities [2nd ed.]. Polity). Three key themes were identified: (1) “I’m a man, I’m a rock”: Undermining treatment, (2) “I’m going to face that challenge”: Facilitation of recovery, and (3) “I don’t feel as useful as a guy as I was before”: Perceptions on return to work. These findings may be translated into gender-informed therapy strategies and materials.

摘要

研究表明，性别会影响男性与健康相关的信念和行为——包括创伤性脑损伤（TBI）背景下的那些——使其成为在为这一人群设计和实施干预措施时应考虑的因素。为了在未来的 TBI 男性及其护理人员和临床医生的教育材料中纳入对这种性别影响的理解，这项定性研究以社会建构主义为依据，旨在探索性别与男性 TBI 后的看法和行为之间的关系在康复和康复中。对 22 名在急性（TBI 后 ≤ 3 个月）和慢性（TBI 后 > 3 个月）损伤阶段患有轻度和中度 TBI 的男性进行了半结构化访谈。对访谈数据采用反思性主题分析方法，男子气概[第 2 版]。政体）。确定了三个关键主题：（1）“我是一个男人，我是一块石头”：破坏治疗，（2）“我将面对这一挑战”：促进康复，以及（3）“我感觉不像以前那样有用”：对重返工作岗位的看法。这些发现可能会转化为性别知情的治疗策略和材料。