The Relationship Between Social Participation and Life Satisfaction in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Patients: A Moderating Role of Binge Drinking
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Date of Award
Summer 8-1-2026
Document Type
Applied Project
Degree Name
Master of Science in Research Psychology (MS)
Department
Psychology
Supervisor
Dr. Yu Chak Sunny Ho
Second Reader
Dr. Jenny Lee Vaydich
Third Reader
Dr. Jessica Fossum
Keywords
TBI, trauma, alcohol, drug use, life satisfaction, social participation
Abstract
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) interferes across facets of life, but it particularly correlates to social isolation, significantly lowering life satisfaction (LS) (Proctor & Best, 2019). TBI patients face increased vulnerability to substance use and disordered thinking, with alcohol use in TBI patients often exceeding pre-injury levels within two years of injury" (Corrigan, 1995). TBI outcomes are shaped by interacting biological, psychological, and social forces (Engel, 1977), with high social participation (SP) providing a "social buffer" that prevents alcohol misuse (Villarosa, 2016) and promotes better life outcomes (Corrigan, 1995). Our present study examines binge drinking (BD) as a moderator of the SP and LS relationship in young-adult TBI patients (ages 18-25), two years post-injury, as the group most vulnerable to BD. 747 participants (Mage = 22.2, SDage = 1.88; Female = 8.6%, Male = 90.4%) were drawn from TBI Model Systems National Database (TBISP, 2019) who completed PART-O (Whiteneck, 2011), binge drinking subscale from Quantity-Frequency-Variability Index (QFVI) (Cahalan & Cisin, 1968), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) (Diener et al., 1985). Moderation analysis revealed binge drinking did not significantly moderate the relationship between SP and LS (β = -0.21, p = 0.69, 95% CI [-1.22, 0.81]), the direct relationship was found to be significantly correlated (β = 1.69, p < .001, 95% CI [1.06, 2.46]). This provides a new direction for future research, in exploring the dynamics of SP, severe drinking behaviors, and life satisfaction beyond two years post-injury. Future longitudinal research should examine broader substance use behaviors and their relation to LS beyond two-year post-injury.
Recommended Citation
Shriner, Elijah J.; Aguilar, Nico; and Tran, Kim, "The Relationship Between Social Participation and Life Satisfaction in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Patients: A Moderating Role of Binge Drinking" (2026). Research Psychology Theses. 40.
https://digitalcommons.spu.edu/rpsy_etd/40
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.