Abstract
Objective
To characterize and compare subgroups of survivors with assault-related versus self-inflicted
traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) via firearms at the time of inpatient rehabilitation
and at 1-, 2-, and 5-year follow-up.
Design
Secondary analysis of data from the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems National
Database (TBIMS NDB), a multicenter, longitudinal cohort study.
Setting
Retrospective analyses of a subset of individuals enrolled in the TBIMS NDB.
Participants
Individuals 16 years and older (N=399; 310 via assault, 89 via self-inflicted injury)
with a primary diagnosis of TBI caused by firearm injury enrolled in the TBIMS NDB.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
Disability Rating Scale, Glasgow Outcome Scale–Extended, sociodemographic variables
(sex, age, race, marital status), injury-related/acute care information (posttraumatic
amnesia, loss of consciousness, time from injury to acute hospital discharge), and
mental health variables (substance use history, psychiatric hospitalizations, suicide
history, incarcerations).
Results
Individuals who survived TBI secondary to a firearm injury differed by injury mechanism
(assault vs self-inflicted) on critical demographic, injury-related/acute care, and
mental health variables at inpatient rehabilitation and across long-term recovery.
Groups differed in terms of geographic area, age, ethnicity, education, marital status,
admission Glasgow Coma Scale score, and alcohol abuse, suicide attempts, and psychiatric
hospitalizations at various time points.
Conclusions
These findings have implications for prevention (eg, mental health programming and
access to firearms in targeted areas) and for rehabilitation planning (eg, by incorporating
training with coping strategies and implementation of addictions-related services)
for firearm-related TBI, based on subtype of injury.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
DV (dependent variable), FI (firearm injury), GCS (Glasgow Coma Scale), TBI (traumatic brain injury), TBIMS NDB (Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems National Database)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 03, 2017
Footnotes
Supported by the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems (TBIMS) National Data and Statistical Center grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR); Rusk Rehabilitation at New York University School of Medicine (grant no. 90DP0047); Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital (grant no. 90DP0038); Mayo Clinic (grant no. 90DP0030); and University of Alabama at Birmingham (grant no. 90DP0044).
The TBIMS National Database is supported by the NIDILRR and created and maintained by the TBIMS Centers Program. This article is intended to promote the exchange of ideas among researchers and policymakers. The views expressed in it are part of ongoing research and analysis and do not necessarily reflect the position of the U.S. Department Health and Human Services.
Disclosures: none.
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
