Traumatic brain injury as vulnerability factor for the development of psychological disorders in a prospective single-event trauma traffic accident sample

ABSTRACT

Primary Objective: Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) present a relevant problem among individuals involved in traffic accidents. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of TBI on the development of psychological symptoms after a traffic accident.

Research Design: This cohort study investigates, whether individuals involved in traffic accidents with TBI are more likely to develop psychological illness than those without TBI.

Measures and Procedures: 59 men (patients: n= 19, controls: n= 40) and 64 women (patients: n= 21, controls n= 43) participated in the study (Mean age: M= 40.23; SD = 13.19; Injury severity score ISS: M= 6.48, SD = 5.99). The psychological distress was compared between the two groups using t-tests. The impact of ISS, number and duration of surgeries were regarded using regression analyses.

Main Outcomes and Results: No indications for a heightened risk of psychological disorders in patients with TBI were found. The treatment at the hospital had no measurable influence on the development of psychological disorders. Nevertheless, in the Dexamethasone-suppression-test there was an increased stress load of patients with TBI caused by injury severity and operations.

Conclusions: TBIs do not seem to cause psychological illness directly but the number of surgeries and the injury severity can influence the stress load which is associated with psychological symptoms.

KEYWORDS:

• Acute concussion
• traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• dexamethasone-suppression-test (DST)
• psychological disorders
• traffic accident

Disclosure of interest

The authors report no conflict of interest. This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.