Setting a research agenda for caregiving after neurotrauma and neurological disability

Abstract

Research on caregiving after neurotrauma and neurological disability critically extends the focus beyond individuals with neurological conditions to family, friends, and significant others who also are greatly impacted. This article introduces a thematic issue of NeuroRehabilitation on the topic with 10 articles that coalesce around the three approaches of (a) literature reviews, (b) empirical studies, and (c) caregiver intervention studies. This introductory article introduces each of these articles and synthesizes them to chart important future directions for research on caregiving after neurotrauma and neurological disability including: (a) a focus on evidence-based common factors caregiver interventions, (b) dissemination and implementation science approaches to imbedding caregiver interventions into health care systems, and (c) cultural considerations in the context of caregiving. This thematic issue helps rehabilitation clinicians incorporate more of a systems perspective to improve the functioning not only of individuals with neurological conditions but also their caregivers.