Altered state of consciousness in mild traumatic brain injury in relation to utilization of services

Abstract

IntroductionPrevalence of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in young adults on college campuses worldwide is extremely concerning, given that this age range is critical for cognitive and behavioral development. Impaired cognition can negatively affect academic performance and quality of life, while the prevalence of acute and/or chronic symptoms impact outcome measures of intellectual efficiency and mental health. It has been reported that a greater number of TBI symptoms and altered state of consciousness are correlated with more academic challenges, chronic symptom prevalence, long-term deficits in executive, emotional, and behavioral functions, and lower employment outcome.Objective(1) Determine the relationship between altered or loss of consciousness and utilization of services. (2) Compare gender differences in prevalence of altered state of consciousness and service utilization from TBI.MethodsA campus wide email was sent out, with a Qualtrics online survey asking questions that pertained to the participants' TBI history, state of consciousness immediately following the injury, symptom prevalence, and the campus services they utilized.ResultsOf 194 respondents included in analysis, 36.6% indicated a loss of consciousness and 35.6% altered consciousness from TBI. At the same notion, only 9% of respondents indicated utilizing services. Interestingly, frequency of respondents' who accessed services was lower for those who experienced only loss of consciousness or both loss and altered consciousness, and higher for those who experienced only altered consciousness or neither (2.7%, 8.6%, 29.4%, 9.1%, respectively). No significant differences were observed between genders for altered state of consciousness or services utilized. However, more men seemed to indicate that they experienced neither change in consciousness (58.8% compared to 39.8% of females).ConclusionsState of consciousness may not be a good predictor of subsequent service utilization. Additionally, gender differences do not seem apparent when analyzing service utilization or level of consciousness at time of injury.