Symptom severity and life satisfaction in brain injury: The mediating role of disability acceptance and social self-efficacy

Although the negative impact of symptom severity on subjective well-being outcomes has been established among individuals with brain injury, the mediating and protective role that positive human traits might have on this relationship has not been adequately explored.The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of social self-efficacy and disability acceptance on the relationship between symptom severity and life satisfaction among individuals with brain injury.Hierarchical regression analysis and correlation techniques were used to test a hypothesized dual-mediation model of life satisfaction in a sample of 105 adults with acquired brain injury.Results indicated that social self-efficacy and disability acceptance fully mediated the relationship between symptom severity and life satisfaction, lending support for a dual-mediation model with disability acceptance being the strongest contributor.These findings suggest there may be considerable value for rehabilitation providers to develop strengths-based service strategies and/or specialized intervention programs that focus on capitalizing these positive human traits to promote life satisfaction and well-being for clients with brain injury. Implications for clinical practice and future research direction are also discussed.