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

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.