Objective: To examine the effects of a brief Tai Chi Chuan Qigong ('Qigong') exercise intervention on individuals with traumatic brain injury. Design: A single-centre randomized controlled trial pilot study. Setting: A registered charity day centre in the community.Subjects: Twenty individuals with traumatic brain injury. Intervention: Intervention participants attended a Qigong exercise session for one hour per week over eight weeks.Control participants engaged in non-exercise-based social and leisure activities for the same intervention period. Measures: Outcome was assessed at baseline and post intervention using the General Health Questionnaire-12, the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire and the Social Support for Exercise Habits Scale, to measure perceived mood, self-esteem, flexibility, coordination, physical activity and social support. Results:Groups were comparable at baseline. After the intervention, mood was improved in the exercise group when compared with controls (U 1⁄4 22.0, P 1⁄4 0.02).Improvements in self-esteem (Z 1⁄4 2.397, P 1⁄4 0.01) and mood (Z 1⁄4 -2.032, P 1⁄4 0.04) across the study period were also evident in the exercise group only. There were no significant differences in physical functioning between groups. In view of the sample size, these findings are inconclusive. Conclusions:This study provides preliminary evidence that a brief Qigong exercise intervention programme may improve mood and self-esteem for individuals with traumatic brain injury. This needs to be tested in a large-scale randomized trial.

Roman Catholic couples (130 couples, ages 24-84), at three churches in a suburban town in the southern U.S., completed a section of the Family Forgiveness Scale and the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire. The factor structure and loadings of forgiveness items differed from those previously reported. Levels of faith and forgiveness were similar between husbands and wives. Faith was correlated with most forgiveness dimensions, and faith and some aspects of forgiveness were related to duration of marriage.

Physical activity is essential for health and wellbeing. The importance of an active lifestyle is increasingly being recognized in rehabilitation for the benefits to quality of life and the prevention and management of secondary disease resulting from disability. However, there is a paucity of published evidence for lifestyle exercise intervention in acquired traumatic brain injury. Most studies evaluate the impact of specific physical rehabilitation therapies or exercise intervention with physical fitness or body composition as outcomes. Few studies also consider the psychosocial benefits of exercise. This article presents the literature in this field together with future directions for intervention. Further research is needed which investigates the impact of exercise intervention on health and wellbeing of brain injured individuals and their families.

This study examines meanings and processes associated with religious practices of prayer, building faith, and forgiving through in-depth, qualitative interviews with six highly religious Roman Catholic families with children. Families were interviewed using a narrative approach that asked participants to share experiences and challenges related to faith and family life. Three primary themes in the interviews included: (a) prayer helps piece the puzzle together, (b) faith builds a foundation, and (c) forgiveness allows unity to flourish.