Acute Assessment of Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress After Exposure to a Deployment-Related Explosive Blast

Abstract

This paper provides one of the first descriptions of psychological and neuropsychological functioning (and their inter-correlation) within days after blast exposure in a large sample of military personnel. Furthermore, this report describes the methodology used to gather data for the acute assessment of TBI, PTSD, and ASD after exposure to an explosive blast in the combat theater. Future analyses will examine the common and unique symptoms of TBI and PTSD, which will be instrumental in developing new assessment approaches and intervention strategies.

Patterns of acute stress disorder in a sample of blast-injured military service members: A latent profile analysis.

“…The assessment battery administered was not standardized and was varied, based on clinical judgment and time logistics. Therefore, our total sample was smaller than the baseline article, due to available data (Baker et al, 2018). It is possible that some screened participants were omitted who should have received the full battery, which likely also restricted the range of possible responses.…”

“…The current study was a secondary data analysis that included a subset of military personnel deployed in support of OEF/OIF who sustained a blast-related injury between September 2006 and September 2007 (Baker et al, 2018). Detailed demographic and military characteristics for the total sample are presented in Table 1.…”

“…Existing research indicates sensitivity and specificity on the MACE is optimal within 72 hr following the injury (McCrea et al, 2014). However, MACE scores have been used in serial assessment of concussions in determining cognitive decline or improvement and in association with behavioral health symptoms (Baker et al, 2018). For this study, we evaluated the presence of postconcussive symptoms (present vs. absent) at the time of the assessment and the cognitive functioning domain scores.…”

“…The second aim was to define and evaluate the nature of the identified latent profiles based on ASD symptom severity and the presence of postconcussive symptoms and cognitive functioning levels as measured by the Military Acute Concussion Evaluation (McCrea et al, 2000). Given prior research that has highlighted the comorbid nature of neuropsychological, physical and psychological symptoms, we hypothesized that ASD latent profiles marked by greater symptom severity, particularly hyperarousal, would demonstrate greater postconcussive symptoms and poorer cognitive functioning (Baker et al, 2018; Bolzenius et al, 2015).…”

Advances in Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with Chinese Medicine

“…PTSD is more common in officers and soldiers who have experienced the trauma of war. (2,6) Epidemiological surveys have shown that among people who have experienced traumatic events, the incidence of traumatic stress disorder varies from 50%-90%, and the incidence of traumatic stress disorder is 5%-10%. (7,8) An investigation conducted 4 years after the Yushu earthquake showed that the incidence of PTSD among local Tibetan adolescents was 19.3%.…”