Violence-related traumatic brain injury: A population-based study

Background. Most studies of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and violence are small, focus on one violent mechanism only, and are nonrepresentative. This large, population-based effort examines characteristics, circumstances of injury, treatment pathways, and outcomes of persons with TBI as a result of all types of violence, compares them with other TBI survivors, identifies a risk profile, and examines how a violent cause impacts later outcomes. Methods. This study involved medical record abstraction and telephone survey at I year postinjury of a weighted sample of 2,771 Coloradans hospitalized with TBI between January 1, 1996, and June 30, 1999. Results. People with violently incurred TBI are more likely to be young, male, members of minority groups, single, and premorbid alcohol abusers than other TBI survivors. At I year postinjury, they report less community integration and more headaches, confusion, and sensory and attentional disturbances. Predictors of these outcomes included age, gender, injury severity, and employment status. Conclusion. it appears that essentially the same factors that increase risk of sustaining a violent TBI negatively impact later outcomes as well.