Outcome from minor brain injury

This project followed up a sample of people who sustained minor brain injuries to assess their outcome and to analyze which factors predicted outcome. Twenty-four participants were assessed within a week of their injury and 17 were reassessed at one month. The areas of outcome explored were post-concussive symptoms, information processing abilities, emotional difficulties and lifestyle. The factors explored as predictors of outcome were: age, gender, loss of consciousness, length of post-traumatic amnesia, previous brain injuries, use of mental health services and social support. Interrelationships between the different areas of outcome were investigated.The sample reported many post-concussive symptoms and lifestyle restrictions at the first assessment. Neuropsychological test performance showed deficits on speed measures at both assessments. A proportion of the sample reported emotional problems at both assessments. Increased age led to more lifestyle restrictions and women had more post-concussive symptoms at the first assessment and more emotional problems. Those who lost consciousness reported more post-concussive symptoms.Several interrelationships were shown between the different outcome measures at each assessment and over time. The results were compared with previous research and interpreted in terms of a model of disability after minor brain injury. Clinical implications and future research are discussed.