Observational Comparison of Fatigue and Sleep Disturbance After Traumatic Injury, in Those With and Without Concomitant Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

OBJECTIVE

Fatigue and subjective sleep disturbance are elevated after mild traumatic brain injury, raising the question of whether mild traumatic brain injury specific factors contribute to the experience of fatigue and subjective sleep disturbance after mild traumatic brain injury.

DESIGN

One hundred ten premorbidly healthy individuals who had suffered a traumatic injury during an accident approximately 8 wks prior were examined and assessed with subjective measures of fatigue and sleep disturbance, psychological distress, and pain.

RESULTS

Individuals with a traumatic injury reported significant elevations in most fatigue and all subjective sleep disruption components compared to community-based control participants ( n = 45). After controlling for pain, psychological status, sex, and premorbid intellectual functioning, those individuals experiencing a mild traumatic brain injury at time of traumatic injury ( n = 64) had equivalent levels of fatigue and subjective sleep disruption as those who had experienced no head injury at time of traumatic injury ( n = 46). Trauma group membership did not significantly predict fatigue or subjective sleep disturbance. In contrast, psychological distress consistently predicted fatigue and subjective sleep disturbance, with pain also inconsistently predicting some fatigue and subjective sleep disturbance variables.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests it is the experience of suffering traumatic injury, rather than mild traumatic brain injury specific factors, that is associated with elevations in fatigue and subjective sleep disturbance, approximately 8 wks after injury.