A-185 Influence of Improved Lifetime TBI History Ascertainment on Clinical Outcomes

Abstract

Abstract Objective: History of TBI/concussion earlier in life may have implications for long-term health. It is important to understand factors that influence retrospective reports of TBI/concussion history in the clinic. We examined whether providing a formal TBI/concussion definition affected self-reported TBI/concussion history and evaluated association of TBI/concussion history with current mood symptoms. Methods: Participants were 12 individuals (5 M, 7 F, average age = 40.4) seen in an interdisciplinary TBI/concussion clinic. Non-parametric Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon tests compared the total number of reported TBI/concussions before and after providing patients a formalized definition for TBI/concussion in the overall sample and then separately for males and females. A secondary analysis used Pearson’s correlation to examine the relationship between total number of TBI/concussions and self-reported anxiety using Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) total score. Results: Participants reported an average of 3.1 more concussions after being informed of the definition of a TBI/concussion. This result was primarily seen in men, who reported 5.8 more TBI/concussions (women = 0.5 more TBI/concussions) after the definition was provided (W = 1.5, p = 0.05). Further, there was a positive, strong correlation between total number of reported lifetime concussions post TBI/concussion definition and anxiety severity (r = 0.67, p = 0.05). Conclusions: Providing a definition of TBI/concussion increases reports of lifetime concussion, primarily in males. Higher trait anxiety may also be associated with self-reported concussion history. Larger sample sizes are needed to better understand factors that drive retrospective injury reports in those who seek concussion care.