Publication year
2015
Citation Title
Resilience and symptom reporting following mild traumatic brain injury in military service members
Journal Name
Brain Injury
Journal Volume
29
Issue Number
11
Page Numbers
1325-1336
DOI
10.3109/02699052.2015.1043948
Summary
Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) often leads to post-concussional disorders and posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) among military Service members. The study examined whether resilience may serve as a protective factor. Results indicated that participants who had higher levels of resilience were less likely to self-report postconcussional disorders and PTSD symptoms following mild TBI.
Key Findings
Participants with higher levels of resilience reported fewer post-concussion symptoms compared to participants who had lower resilience scores.
There was also a negative correlation between participants’ resilience level and PTSD symptom reporting.
Resilience significantly predicted whether the sample would experience mild, moderate, or severe levels of post-concussional disorders, but only predicted the presence or absence of PTSD that was above moderate level.
Implications for Program Leaders
Educate Service members about the risk and protective factors associated with mental health disorders
Teach military family members about the warning signs of mild TBI, post-concussional disorders, and PTSD
Provide outreach services that increase the awareness of available support to Service members with mild TBI
Implications for Policy Makers
Encourage awareness campaigns regarding the importance of resiliency for Service members
Offer handbooks to Service members to teach them resilience strategies prior to stress exposure
Recommend professional development courses for professionals regarding the role of resilience as a protective factor against post-concussional disorders and PTSD
Methods
Participants were recruited through a larger study, and they were divided into three resilience groups based on the Response to Stressful Experiences Scale: Moderate, High, and Very High.
Within 12 months following mild TBI, participants completed the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory and PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version to determine their post-concussional disorders and PTSD symptoms.
Correlational analysis were used to determine the relationships between resilience and symptom reporting
Participants
The sample included 142 Service members who were diagnosed with mild TBI.
Participants’ average age was 27.6 years (SD = 7.9), and they were predominately male (89%); the majority of the participants were enlisted Service members (77%).
The ethnic background and military branches of the participants were not reported in the article.
Limitations
The present study only examined resilience in Service member with mild TBI, therefore the results may be difficult to generalize to Service members who have more severe TBI or other types of injuries.
Participants’ post-concussional disorders and PTSD symptoms were evaluated within one year after injury, so it is unknown if the correlation between resilience and symptom reporting would change at other time points.
The study relied on participants’ self-report to determine their symptoms; objective measures of symptoms may make the study more comprehensive.
Avenues for Future Research
Examine the relationship between resiliency and symptom reporting in patients who suffered from severe TBI or other injuries
Limit the sample strictly to those tested within 1 month or 3 months following an injury to examine whether the relationship between resilience and reporting of post-concussional disorders or PTSD symptoms differs between the two time points
Give the participants both self-report questionnaires and semi-structured interviews to get a more comprehensive picture of their symptoms
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Primary objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between resilience and symptom reporting following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). It was hypothesized that, as resilience increases, self-reported symptoms would decrease. Research design: Cross-sectional design. Methods and procedures: Participants were 142 US military service members who sustained a mTBI, divided into three resilience groups based on participants’ responses on the Response to Stressful Experiences Scale: Moderate (n?=?42), High (n?=?51), and Very High (n?=?49). Participants completed the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI) and PTSD Checklist_Civilian Version (PCL-C) within 12 months following injury. Main outcomes and results: There were significant main effects for the NSI total score, cognitive cluster and affective cluster, as well as for the PCL-C total score, avoidance cluster and hyperarousal cluster. Pairwise comparisons revealed that there was a negative relationship between resilience and self-reported symptoms overall. Specifically, participants with higher resilience reported fewer post-concussion and PTSD-related symptoms than participants with lower levels of resilience. Conclusions: These findings underscore the important role that resilience plays in symptom expression in military service members with mTBI and suggest that research on targeted interventions to increase resilience in the acute phase following injury is indicated.
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