Traumatic brain injury during deployment to Afghanistan was associated with an increased risk for PTSD following redeployment to the United States, according to study findings in the American Journal of Psychiatry. To assess the association between deployment-acquired traumatic brain injury (TBI) and subsequent posttraumatic stress and related disorders, researchers conducted a prospective, longitudinal study of soldiers in three Brigade Combat Teams 1 to 2 months prior to deployment to Afghanistan, upon redeployment to the United States, 3 months following redeployment and 9 months following redeployment to the United States. Information was available for 4,645 soldiers.
Approximately one in five (18%) soldiers reported exposure to mild or more-than-mild (1.2%) TBIs during index deployment. When adjusting for other risk factors, including pre-deployment mental health status, severity of deployment stress and prior TBI history, deployment-acquired TBI was associated with increased adjusted odds for PTSD and generalized anxiety disorder 3 and 9 months following redeployment to the United States. Deployment-acquired TBI was also associated with increased adjusted odds for a major depressive episode 3 months following redeployment. Risk for suicidality appeared increased 3 months following redeployment but did not reach statistical significance. Read more at: http://www.healio.com/psychiatry/ptsd/news/online/%7B05b46691-5255-4dde-ab8d-f3059cbb8479%7D/study-finds-link-between-tbi-during-deployment-increased-risk-for-ptsd