Shame, self-discrepancies, and adjustment after acquired brain injury.

To explore the relationship between shame and self-discrepancies and the extent that these factors predict adjustment after an acquired brain injury (ABI). 62 participants with an ABI completed the following self-report qualitative questionnaires: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Quality of Life after Brain Injury Scale, the Internalized Shame Scale, and the Head Injury Semantic Differential Scale – III. Data was analyzed using correlations, repeated ANOVA, and multiple regression models. A significant self-discrepancy was found between the present self and the pre-injury self, with the present self-being rated more negatively. This self-discrepancy was found to be positively correlated to shame, and these two variables were found to predict adjustment (emotional distress and quality of life). Shame and self-discrepancies both appear to play a crucial role in adjustment following an ABI. However, the relationship between shame and self-discrepancies needs more consideration to understand how these variables may interact to predict adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]