Effect of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Demographic Factors on Psychological Outcome

Authors

1 Trauma Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, IR Iran

2 Department of Clinical Psychology, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, IR Iran

3 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, IR Iran

4 Prevention of Psychosocial Injuries, Research Center, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, IR Iran

10.5812/atr.29729

Abstract

Background
It is well-known that severe brain injury can make people susceptible to psychological symptoms. However, mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) is still open for discussion.


Objectives
This study aimed to compare psychological symptoms of MTBI patients with those without MTBI considering demographic auxiliary variables.


Patients and Methods
This prospective cohort study was conducted on 50 MTBI patients and 50 healthy subjects aged 15 - 65 years. Psychological assessment was carried out six months post-injury using a series of self-report measures including the brief symptom inventory (BSI) scale. Other information of the individuals in the two groups was recorded prospectively. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test, t-test, and multiple linear regression tests.


Results
There was a significant difference between the MTBI patients and healthy subjects in all subscales and total score of BSI. Our findings showed that obsession-compulsion and anxiety subscales were significantly more common in the MTBI patients than in the healthy subjects. Also, multivariate regression analysis six months post- injury showed that head trauma and substance abuse can have an effect on psychological symptoms.


Conclusions
Mild traumatic brain injuries despite of the normal CT scan and history of substance abuse are closely related to psychological symptoms. Therefore, it is recommended that patients with brain trauma 6 months post-injury and subjects with a history of substance abuse be evaluated for psychological distress to support better rehabilitation.

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