Recovery from Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Previously Healthy Adults.

This prospective longitudinal study reports recovery from mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) across multiple domains in a carefully selected consecutive sample of 74 previously healthy adults. The patients with MTBI and 40 orthopedic controls (i.e., ankle injuries) completed assessments at 1, 6, and 12 months after injury. Outcome measures included cognition, post-concussion symptoms, depression, traumatic stress, quality of life, satisfaction with life, resilience, and return to work. Patients with MTBI reported more post-concussion symptoms and fatigue than the controls at the beginning of recovery, but by 6 months after injury, did not differ as a group from nonhead injury trauma controls on cognition, fatigue, or mental health, and by 12 months, their level of post-concussion symptoms and quality of life was similar to that of controls. Almost all (96%) patients with MTBI returned to work/normal activities (RTW) within the follow-up of 1 year. A subgroup of those with MTBIs and controls reported mild post-concussion-like symptoms at 1 year. A large percentage of the subgroup who had persistent symptoms had a modifiable psychological risk factor at 1 month (i.e., depression, traumatic stress, and/or low resilience), and at 6 months, they had greater post-concussion symptoms, fatigue, insomnia, traumatic stress, and depression, and worse quality of life. All of the control subjects who had mild post-concussion-like symptoms at 12 months also had a mental health problem (i.e., depression, traumatic stress, or both). This illustrates the importance of providing evidence-supported treatment and rehabilitation services early in the recovery period.

Resilience Is Associated with Outcome from Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Resilient individuals manifest adaptive behavior and are better able to recover from adversity. The association between resilience and outcome from mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is examined, and the reliability and validity of the Resilience Scale and its short form in mTBI research is evaluated. Patients with mTBI (n=74) and orthopedic controls (n=39) completed the Resilience Scale at one, six, and 12 months after injury. Additionally, self-reported post-concussion symptoms, fatigue, insomnia, pain, post-traumatic stress, and depression, as well as quality of life, were evaluated. The internal consistency of the Resilience Scale and the short form ranged from 0.91 to 0.93 for the mTBI group and from 0.86 to 0.95 for controls. The test-retest reliability ranged from 0.70 to 0.82. Patients with mTBI and moderate-to-high resilience reported significantly fewer post-concussion symptoms, less fatigue, insomnia, traumatic stress, and depressive symptoms, and better quality of life, than the patients with low resilience. No association between resilience and time to return to work was found. Resilience was associated with self-reported outcome from mTBI, and based on this preliminary study, can be reliably evaluated with Resilience Scale and its short form in those with mTBIs.

Resilience is associated with fatigue after mild traumatic brain injury.

OBJECTIVE: To examine resilience as a predictor of change in self-reported fatigue after mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). PARTICIPANTS: A consecutive series of 67 patients with MTBI and 34 orthopedic controls. DESIGN: Prospective longitudinal study. MAIN MEASURES: Resilience Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition, and Pain subscale from Ruff Neurobehavioral Inventory 1 month after injury and Barrow Neurological Institute Fatigue Scale 1 and 6 months after injury. RESULTS: Insomnia, pain, and depressive symptoms were significantly correlated with fatigue, but even when these variables were controlled for, resilience significantly predicted the change in fatigue from 1 to 6 months after MTBI. In patients with MTBI, the correlation between resilience and fatigue strengthened during follow-up. In controls, significant associations between resilience and fatigue were not found. CONCLUSION: Resilience is a significant predictor of decrease in self-reported fatigue following MTBI. Resilience seems to be a relevant factor to consider in the management of fatigue after MTBI along with the previously established associated factors (insomnia, pain, and depressive symptoms).