Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has a wide range of severity ranging from concussions to severe brain injuries and death. A wide body of literature has documented adverse outcomes in cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and physical functioning after TBI, as well as increased risk for poor family and social functioning. TBI presents a major challenge to healthcare systems because of residual functional impairments along with difficulties with activities of daily living, education, community integration, and employment. Although acute treatment and care are important, effective delivery of long-term healthcare services and community-based support are equally necessary and far more complex.

To date, studies from different countries are required to allow a better understanding of international differences and patients’ needs for healthcare services and additional support. The goal of this special issue is to present a summary of international multidisciplinary research on long-term functional consequences of TBI, to describe their impact on healthcare needs and to relate these to healthcare provision. Authors are invited to submit original research papers related to TBI. We are particularly interested in papers that explore cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and physical functioning of TBI, patients’ needs, and the provision of healthcare services and social support, using any approach for research (e.g., case studies, empirical research, program evaluations, and literature review) and methods (qualitative and/or quantitative).

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Cognitive deficits (e.g., memory, attention, executive functions, and self-awareness) and treatment approaches
• Behavioral and emotional difficulties (e.g., aggression, irritability, depression, anxiety, personality, and posttraumatic stress disorder) and differential diagnosis of TBI from other neuropsychiatric conditions
• Comorbidities (e.g., posttraumatic epilepsy and other comorbidity) that can impact cognition, behavior and emotion, social difficulties, and functional outcomes
• Social difficulties (e.g., family, interpersonal relationships, sexuality, and quality of life)
• Somatic complaints and impairments (e.g., fatigue, pain, visual symptoms, motor disorders, and sleep disorders)
• Predictors of functional outcomes and change over time (e.g., employment, productivity, and driving)
• Provision of healthcare services (e.g., inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation and community-based services) and how they are organized to preserve and improve TBI related functional outcomes