Mild traumatic brain injury, meaning made of trauma, and posttraumatic stress: A preliminary test of a novel hypothesis.

Abstract

Research has demonstrated that a substantial number of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) also contend with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One possible contributing factor for the development and/or exacerbation of PTSD symptoms among individuals with mTBI could involve challenges processing trauma and integrating their memories into existing global meaning systems. The goal of this study was to provide a preliminary examination of whether meaning made of trauma could account for the association between mTBI and PTSD (i.e., reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms). The sample was comprised of 162 Iraq and/or Afghanistan veterans who presented for health care services at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital. These veterans completed a two-level evaluation for mTBI as well as a self-report questionnaire assessing demographic and military background factors, meaning made of trauma, and PTSD symptomatology. Drawing on structural equation modeling, results indicated that probable mTBI was indirectly associated with the three domains of PTSD symptomatology via veterans' meaning made of trauma. Although the cross-sectional nature of this study limits the conclusions that can be drawn, these results offer support for difficulties with meaning-making as a contributing factor for risk of PTSD among veterans with mTBI. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).