Faculty Collaboration Database

Interaction Between Psychiatric Symptoms and History of Mild TBI When Evaluating Postconcussion Syndrome in Veterans. Mil Med 2020 Jan 07;185(Suppl 1):161-167

Date

09/10/2019

Pubmed ID

31498405

DOI

10.1093/milmed/usz193

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85080846211 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   8 Citations

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Symptoms of postconcussive syndrome (PCS) after mild TBI (mTBI) have been shown to resolve quickly, yet new research raises questions about possible long-term effects of this condition. It is not clear how best to address assessment and treatment when someone reports lingering symptoms of PCS. One self-report measure used by the VA and the DoD is the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI), but this measure may be affected by underlying psychiatric symptoms. We investigated whether the NSI is sensitive to mTBI after considering a number of psychiatric and demographic factors.

METHODS: This study examined which factors are associated with NSI scores in a Veteran sample (n = 741) that had recently returned from deployment.

RESULTS: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression accounted for most of the variance on the NSI. Although history of mTBI was initially related to NSI, this association was no longer significant after other covariates were considered.

CONCLUSIONS: The NSI score was primarily explained by symptoms of PTSD and depression, suggesting that the NSI is not specific to the experience of a brain injury. We recommend cautious interpretation when this measure is used in the chronic phase after mTBI, especially among patients with comorbid depression or PTSD.

Author List

Larsen SE, Larson ER, Hunt JC, Lorber WG, deRoon-Cassini TA

Authors

Sadie E. Larsen PhD Associate Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Eric Larson PhD Associate Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Terri A. deRoon Cassini PhD Center Director, Professor in the Surgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Analysis of Variance
Brain Concussion
Depression
Female
Humans
Male
Post-Concussion Syndrome
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Psychometrics
Self Report
Veterans