Life-bombing-injury-life: a qualitative follow-up study of Oklahoma City bombing survivors with TBI

Abstract

Primary objective: To learn about and come to an understanding of the recovery process and outcomes experienced by the survivors of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, who sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) along with other injuries in the blast.

Research design: A phenomenological study was conducted using in-person interviews, document and video-tape review, internet communication and researcher journals as the primary data set.

Methods and procedures: A total of 20 of the 46 bombing survivors with TBI (44%) agreed to be a part of the study. The data collection process focused on stories about service needs, services accessed and long-term outcomes of the participants.

Main outcome and results: The researchers' data analysis yielded four themes (Trauma-Healing-Support; What TBI?; How I went back to work and life; Now I really need assistance!) that represented the content and meanings of the interviews and supplemental data.

Conclusions: A common thread running through the interviews of survivors with TBI was their portrayal of life-long medical, emotional, vocational and residential needs since the bombing. What they experienced in the months--extending into years--after the bombing was beyond their own anticipation and that of their families and healthcare professionals.