TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence and correlates of self-reported cognitive difficulties in deployment-injured U.S. military personnel
AU - Jurick, Sarah M.
AU - McCabe, Cameron T.
AU - Watrous, Jessica R.
AU - Walker, Lauren E.
AU - Stewart, Ian J.
AU - Galarneau, Michael R.
N1 - Funding Information:
The following disclaimer applies to all authors: I am a military service member or employee of the U.S. Government. This work was prepared as part of my official duties. Title 17, U.S.C. §105 provides that copyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the U.S. Government. Title 17, U.S.C. §101 defines a U.S. Government work as work prepared by a military service member or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person's official duties. Report No. 21–50 was supported by the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery's Wounded, Ill, and Injured Program under work unit No. 60808. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of the Air Force, Department of Defense, nor the U.S. Government. The study protocol was approved by the Naval Health Research Center Institutional Review Board in compliance with all applicable Federal regulations governing the protection of human subjects. Research data were derived from an approved Naval Health Research Center Institutional Review Board protocol (NHRC.2009.0014).
Publisher Copyright:
Published 2022. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
PY - 2022/10
Y1 - 2022/10
N2 - Cognitive difficulties typically resolve within days to weeks following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI); however, a sizable proportion of individuals continue to report cognitive symptoms months to years later that are often associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression to a greater degree than a history of mTBI. The current study sought to evaluate the prevalence of self-reported cognitive difficulties as well as the relative contributions of demographic, injury-related, and mental health variables in a large study of U.S. military personnel injured during deployment since 2001. Slightly fewer than half (42.0%) of participants reported elevated cognitive difficulties compared with a normative population; however, this was driven primarily by those who screened positive for PTSD or depression. Hierarchical linear regression revealed that various demographic and injury factors, including lower educational attainment, retired or separated military status, enlisted rank, and a history of deployment-related mTBI, were associated with more self-reported cognitive difficulties, f2 = 0.07. Screening positive for PTSD or depression accounted for 32.1% of the variance in self-reported cognitive symptoms, f2 = 0.63, whereas injury variables, including a history of deployment-related mTBI, albeit significant in the model, accounted for 1.6%. The current findings add to the growing body of literature underscoring the importance of screening for and treating mental health conditions in injured military personnel.
AB - Cognitive difficulties typically resolve within days to weeks following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI); however, a sizable proportion of individuals continue to report cognitive symptoms months to years later that are often associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression to a greater degree than a history of mTBI. The current study sought to evaluate the prevalence of self-reported cognitive difficulties as well as the relative contributions of demographic, injury-related, and mental health variables in a large study of U.S. military personnel injured during deployment since 2001. Slightly fewer than half (42.0%) of participants reported elevated cognitive difficulties compared with a normative population; however, this was driven primarily by those who screened positive for PTSD or depression. Hierarchical linear regression revealed that various demographic and injury factors, including lower educational attainment, retired or separated military status, enlisted rank, and a history of deployment-related mTBI, were associated with more self-reported cognitive difficulties, f2 = 0.07. Screening positive for PTSD or depression accounted for 32.1% of the variance in self-reported cognitive symptoms, f2 = 0.63, whereas injury variables, including a history of deployment-related mTBI, albeit significant in the model, accounted for 1.6%. The current findings add to the growing body of literature underscoring the importance of screening for and treating mental health conditions in injured military personnel.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85127596247&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/jts.22833
DO - 10.1002/jts.22833
M3 - Article
C2 - 35394076
AN - SCOPUS:85127596247
SN - 0894-9867
VL - 35
SP - 1343
EP - 1356
JO - Journal of Traumatic Stress
JF - Journal of Traumatic Stress
IS - 5
ER -