Objective: To examine the risk of sustaining a traumatic brain injury (TBI) associated with prior psychiatric conditions beyond that of fixed demographic variables.

Design: Retrospective cohort study of non-referred community-dwelling male US veterans.

Methods: Two-hundred and seventy-one individuals who sustained a TBI with altered consciousness were compared with 630 controls without a history of Head injury, selected from a larger sample of 3766.

Results: Hierarchical logistic regression analyses were used to model odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the unique association between pre-existing psychiatric disorders and the likelihood of incurring a TBI while adjusting for demographic characteristics and other known predictor variables. Mood (odds ratio 2.48, 95% confidence interval 1.23-5.01), anxiety (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.01-2.68) and conduct disorders (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.16-2.38) increased the risk of Head injury.

Conclusions: The pre-existence of psychiatric illness, particularly depression, anxiety and conduct disorder, increased the future risk of incurring a TBI. The implementation of early identification and treatment of psychiatric conditions may potentially lower risk and reduce yearly incidence rates of TBI.

Keywords: Traumatic brain injury; Head injury; risk factors for TBI; psychiatric risk factors

Authors: Jessica L. Vassallo;  Zoë  Proctor-Weber;  Brian K. Lebowitz;  Glenn Curtiss; Rodney D. Vanderploeg
Affiliations: 
Department of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences, James A. Haley VAMC. Tampa, FL. USA
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, University of South Florida. Tampa, FL. USA
Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. Tampa, FL. USA
Department of Psychology, University of South Florida. Tampa, FL. USA

DOI: 10.1080/02699050701426832
Publication Frequency: 14 issues per year
Published in: journal Brain Injury, Volume 21, Issue 6 June 2007 , pages 567 - 573

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