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This paper explores the perception of "relatives" during the rehabilitation of young adults with severe acquired brain injury (SABI). This longitudinal qualitative study followed eight young adults with a SABI from hospital discharge to a year and a half after discharge. The design encompassed professional records, interviews, and surveys, including a name generator list completed by the young adults and focus group interviews with both their families and professionals. We apply a sociological theoretical framework concerning friendship, and we employ social network analysis (SNA) methodology to capture, visualise, and analyse the young adults' significant social relations. Social relations engaged as relatives during rehabilitation are to a large extent determined by the perceptions of professionals and the parents of the young adult. These perceptions contain a limited number of social relations, with priority given to biological and juridical ties. This might reflect the reduced social support available for the young adult, who initially had a much larger social network. The authors suggest a professional rethinking of who "relatives" are as well as considering these social ties as dynamic. Rehabilitation professionals must be aware of and pay attention to differing perceptions that exist as to who qualifies as significant social relations in order to reconsider the practical implementation of relative involvement. The perception of who relatives are during the rehabilitation process should be reconsidered and extended to include who the young adult perceive as significant social relations. Relatives are not a fixed entity and should be considered dynamically throughout the rehabilitation process. Social relations of the young adult must to a larger extent be considered during rehabilitation to prevent social isolation in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work-disability following musculoskeletal injury causes a significant burden for individuals and healthcare systems. Research into work-disability prevention has investigated the ability of psychosocial factors to predict return-to-work in workers with musculoskeletal injuries. Recent research indicates that both return-to-work expectations and workplace supports influence return-to-work outcome. However, how these mechanisms operate to influence outcome is still largely unknown. We undertook a qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with workers from diverse backgrounds who were undergoing vocational rehabilitation in New Zealand following a musculoskeletal injury. Interviews investigated the injured workers' experiences of workplace supports and asked in-depth about what contributed to their expectations of returning to work. Thematic analysis was used to analyse and interpret the data. Analysis identified four key themes. We found that what workplace supports were offered and how they were taken up was related to systemic factors, and trust. We also identified a link between the offer of support from the workplace and return-to-work expectations. Finally, the actions of workers' compensation and healthcare providers during workers' recovery were reported to influence supports, expectations and the confidence injured workers experienced in their return-to-work outcome in both overt and subtle ways. This study indicated that actions of the workplace, healthcare providers and workers' compensation parties can all influence workplace supports, return-to-work expectations and return-to-work outcome. These findings therefore implicate the actions of these stakeholders in work-disability prevention efforts. Positive return-to-work expectations are increasingly shown by research to be related to positive return-to-work outcomes for injured workers. Trust between the worker and the company can underpin the provision of supports for return-to-work, which in turn can influence worker confidence and expectations of return-to-work. Consideration of workplace culture and relationships when healthcare providers interact with employers can be crucial in fostering trust and enabling appropriate workplace supports. The ways in which workers compensation processes are executed can also affect workplace relationships, and therefore influence the provision of appropriate return-to-work supports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]