TY - JOUR

T1 - Unequal neurorehabilitation trajectories–a longitudinal case study combining field structures with social Class–Based Capital Conversion

AU - Bystrup, Mette Ryssel

AU - Hindhede, Anette Lykke

AU - Pallesen, Hanne

AU - Aadal, Lena

AU - Larsen, Kristian

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Inequalities in illness, service provision, and outcomes are well documented in the Nordic universal welfare state. The ways in which inequalities are produced during illness recovery trajectories remain largely unknown. Long-term brain injury rehabilitation in this context provides a window into veiled aspects of inequality and the underlying mechanisms. We examine inequality empirically by combing framing field structures with the classed abilities of families to mobilise capital after a severe acquired brain injury (severe ABI). Using a Bourdieuan theoretical framework, informed by the concepts of field, doxa, cultural health capital (CHC), and rehabilitation capital (RC), we designed a longitudinal case study encompassing professional records, observations, and interviews that tracked and analysed subjects' trajectories. We found that families’ consistent accumulation and conversion of capital was crucial after a severe ABI because of the multifaceted rehabilitation process involving many different field specific agendas and doxas. This study supplements previous concepts (CHC and RC) developed in a health care context by including other rehabilitation contexts. These disparities in forms of capital amongst social classes result in winners and losers and were reflected in the rehabilitation trajectories of the young adults, characterised by continuity on one extreme and broken trajectories on the other.

AB - Inequalities in illness, service provision, and outcomes are well documented in the Nordic universal welfare state. The ways in which inequalities are produced during illness recovery trajectories remain largely unknown. Long-term brain injury rehabilitation in this context provides a window into veiled aspects of inequality and the underlying mechanisms. We examine inequality empirically by combing framing field structures with the classed abilities of families to mobilise capital after a severe acquired brain injury (severe ABI). Using a Bourdieuan theoretical framework, informed by the concepts of field, doxa, cultural health capital (CHC), and rehabilitation capital (RC), we designed a longitudinal case study encompassing professional records, observations, and interviews that tracked and analysed subjects' trajectories. We found that families’ consistent accumulation and conversion of capital was crucial after a severe ABI because of the multifaceted rehabilitation process involving many different field specific agendas and doxas. This study supplements previous concepts (CHC and RC) developed in a health care context by including other rehabilitation contexts. These disparities in forms of capital amongst social classes result in winners and losers and were reflected in the rehabilitation trajectories of the young adults, characterised by continuity on one extreme and broken trajectories on the other.

KW - Bourdieu

KW - capital

KW - inequality

KW - rehabilitation

KW - trajectories

KW - welfare state

U2 - 10.1080/14461242.2021.2007161

DO - 10.1080/14461242.2021.2007161

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35220921

AN - SCOPUS:85125957866

VL - 31

SP - 293

EP - 308

JO - Health Sociology Review

JF - Health Sociology Review

SN - 1446-1242

IS - 3

ER -