Traumatic Brain Injury

The goal of this study is to increase the understanding of social aspects of the study “Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury” (IRB Study #: STUDY006819) by identifying 1) information and attitudes affecting participation of veteran and service member study participants with TBI, 2) information and attitudes held by study researchers, and 3) the experiences and social effects of participation among participants and their family or caregivers. The primary aim is: To capture lived experiences of study participants, their family or caregivers, research team members, and policymakers in USF IRB Study 6819, to identify the social factors comprising the total ‘ecology of care’ affecting trial engagement and outcomes holistically. This application is for primary participants only and modification to the study will be submitted prior to including the secondary and tertiary participants.

This study will help contextualize the linked biomedical study processes and results within existing attitudes and information about brain health, brain injury, TBI, HBOT, and experimental and standard biomedical and behavioral health therapies. The goal of the qualitative research is to document the range of attitudes and information about brain health, brain injury, and brain science and treatment options existing among veterans, active-duty service members, scientists, providers, businesspersons, and policymakers. 

Nurse and HBOT Patient

HBOT as a Multidomain Intervention: Biological, Behavioral, and Ritualized Mechanisms in TBI Recovery

The AQUASS Lab currently runs the University of South Florida Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for traumatic brain injury (TBI) substudy. Anthropology is well equipped as a discipline to explain the influences that culture may have on TBI outcomes by drawing on theories and frameworks described below. HBOT is typically understood as a biological intervention aimed at improving cerebral metabolism, reducing inflammation, and promoting neuroplasticity following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Yet patients frequently describe changes that extend beyond standard clinical metrics, including early emotional regulation, increased motivation, improved adherence, and a restored sense of self.

This talk proposes a complementary framework for understanding these outcomes by examining HBOT as a ritualized clinical system. Drawing on medical anthropology and social theory, it synthesizes three perspectives: (1) Hinton and Kirmayer’s (2013) model of trauma as a multidomain regulatory loop, (2) Lende’s work on ritualized behavioral cycles and affect regulation, and (3) Collins’ (2014) theory of interaction ritual chains and emotional energy. Together, these models highlight how structured repetition, embodied sequencing, and patterned social interaction within HBOT may shape emotional regulation, engagement, and sustained participation over time.

Rather than treating ritual effects as symbolic or placebo-based, the presentation frames them as testable mechanisms, in which scheduling regularity, bodily preparation, the contained chamber environment, and repeated interactions with technicians operate alongside biological repair. This positions HBOT as a multidomain intervention in which biology, repetition, relationship, and motivation dynamically co-produce recovery.

View the full video here.