Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is commonly defined by Menon et al. as an “alteration of the brain function, or other evidence of brain pathology, caused by an external force.” TBI can be caused by penetrating trauma to the head in which the magnitude of the injury is dependent on the magnitude of the forces that are applied to the head. The consequences of TBI can range from minimal to severe disability and even death. The major objectives of this systematic review are to survey the current literature on Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Hispanic veterans with TBI. To complete this analysis, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and MetaAnalysis (PRISMA) identified 875 articles in common and retrieved a total of 34 articles that met the inclusion criteria, consisted of OEF/OIF Hispanic veterans, reported quantitative data, and were conducted with adult U.S. veterans living in the United States. Since TBI diagnosis was unclear in most articles, only five articles that used the VATBIST instrument were analyzed. The results suggested that there is a lack of research on OEF/OIF Hispanic veterans and Hispanic subgroups. Future studies need to be conducted to consider minority groups while analyzing data involving TBI.
Highlights
Background and SignificanceTraumatic brain injury (TBI) has been denoted the “signature wound” of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars [1]
A recent survey of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) troops found that 11% of women and 20% of men tested positive for deployment-related TBI [3]
Twenty-nine out of thirty-four studies produced by the PRISMA method assessed veterans with TBI and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and did not use the VAT-BIST
Summary
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been denoted the “signature wound” of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars [1]. TBI is the result of an impact to the head or a penetrating trauma. TBI occurs without any visible wounds, such as when explosives strike the head in combat situations [2]. United States military personnel are believed to be at a higher risk to incur TBIs. United States military personnel are believed to be at a higher risk to incur TBIs These are usually mild, but can create serious and persistent sequelae [3]. Certain mental health disorders are linked with mild TBI including depression, substance-abuse, self-destructive behavior, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A recent survey of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) troops found that 11% of women and 20% of men tested positive for deployment-related TBI [3]
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