OBJECTIVE To examine the effectiveness of the Therapeutic Couples Intervention (TCI) on caregiver needs and burden after brain injury. RESEARCH METHOD Individuals with brain injury and their intimate partners/caregivers (n = 75) participated in a 2-arm, parallel, randomized trial with a waitlist control. The TCI consisted of 5 2-hr sessions, with a sixth optional session for parents. The Family Needs Questionnaire-R (FNQ-R) and the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) were secondary outcome measures. RESULTS After adjusting for baseline characteristics, caregivers in the TCI group demonstrated reduction in unmet needs for 5 of the 6 FNQ-R subscales, whereas those in the waitlist control group did not. ZBI scores improved significantly for TCI caregivers but not for controls. At the 3-month follow-up, benefits were maintained for the ZBI and 4 of the 6 FNQ-R subscales (Health Information, Emotional Support, Professional Support, and Community Support Network). CONCLUSIONS The present investigation provided evidence that, following brain injury, a structured couples intervention can reduce unmet needs and burden in caregivers. Future multicenter research examining long-term durability of treatment gains and specific characteristics of positive responders is warranted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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夫妻干预能否减少脑损伤后未满足的需求和护理人员的负担？


目的 检验夫妻治疗干预 (TCI) 对脑损伤后护理人员需求和负担的有效性。研究方法 患有脑损伤的个人及其亲密伴侣/照顾者 (n = 75) 参加了一项具有等候名单对照的 2 臂、平行、随机试验。 TCI 包括 5 场 2 小时的课程，其中第六场是家长可选的课程。家庭需求问卷-R (FNQ-R) 和扎里特负担访谈 (ZBI) 是次要结果衡量标准。结果调整基线特征后，TCI 组的护理人员表现出 6 个 FNQ-R 子量表中 5 个未满足需求的减少，而候补名单对照组的护理人员则没有。 TCI 护理人员的 ZBI 分数显着提高，但对照组的分数没有显着提高。在 3 个月的随访中，ZBI 和 6 个 FNQ-R 分量表中的 4 个（健康信息、情感支持、专业支持和社区支持网络）保持受益。结论 本调查提供的证据表明，脑损伤后，结构化的夫妻干预可以减少护理人员未满足的需求和负担。未来的多中心研究有必要检验治疗效果的长期持久性和阳性反应者的具体特征。 （PsycINFO 数据库记录 (c) 2019 APA，保留所有权利）。