A cross sectional study of post-concussion symptoms following mild traumatic brain injury in an Asian population: Influence of negative mental states and somatic features.

OBJECTIVE

Persistent post-concussion symptoms resulting from a mild traumatic brain injury that typically last longer than three months may stem from a complex interaction of neurological and psychological factors, particularly negative mental states. Negative mental states including pessimism and depression are associated with post-concussion phenomena may be highly pertinent to Asian societies. The objective of this study was to examine the respective influences of culture specific psychological factors in the presentation of post-concussion symptoms.

METHOD: We examined the relationship between somatisation, depression and pessimism in 83 Asian mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) outpatients and found depression levels, including cognitive/affective depression and somatic depression sub-factors, were significantly greater in patients with moderate or severe symptoms.

RESULTS

Somatic depression was the best predictor of the severity of post-concussion symptoms especially in individuals who were more pessimistic.

CONCLUSION

The findings highlight negative mental states and cultural differences in the manifestation of post-concussion symptoms that should inform both clinical assessment and intervention for persistent PCS.