Online screening assessment of lifetime exposure to traumatic brain injury: a pilot study of associations between exposure and health status

Karen A Sullivan; Elysia Caltabiano

doi:10.1071/IB23080

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Online screening assessment of lifetime exposure to traumatic brain injury: a pilot study of associations between exposure and health status

Karen A Sullivan

^A ^* and Elysia Caltabiano ^A

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, O Block B Wing, Kelvin Grove Campus, Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, Brisbane, 4059, Australia. Email: elysia.caltabiano@connect.qut.edu.au

^* Correspondence to: karen.sullivan@qut.edu.au

Handling Editor: Jenny Fleming

Brain Impairment 25, IB23080 https://doi.org/10.1071/IB23080

Submitted: 23 February 2023 Accepted: 28 March 2023 Published: 23 January 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY)

Abstract

Background

This study aimed to conduct a pilot test of the feasibility and validity of administering an online screening measure of lifetime traumatic brain injury (TBI) exposure in Australia.

Methods

One hundred and fifty six adults (aged 18–65 years) were recruited from the community via snowball sampling (convenience sample). A cross-sectional online survey was deployed that included the Ohio State University Traumatic Brain Injury Identification Method (OSU TBI-ID) short form. Secondary measures assessed post-concussion symptoms (the Rivermead Post-Concussion Symptoms Questionnaire), negative affective states (depression, anxiety, and stress scales), and behavioural health risks (items from the 2014 Ohio Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System).

Results

Online OSU TBI-ID feasibility was high (minimal missing data and attrition, high completion rate). A TBI history was successfully recorded by approximately 60% of participants. Validity testing, via investigation of expected associations with risk factors controlled, found that selected indices [Worst TBI, Multiple TBIs] were positively associated with worse post-concussion symptoms: P’s < 0.05, small–medium effects. Worst TBI was significantly related to one behavioural health risk, smoking. There were no other significant correlations between online OSU TBI-ID indices and secondary outcomes when accounting for covariates (P’s > 0.05).

Conclusion

Initial support was found for the feasibility and validity of an online screening measure of lifetime TBI exposure (LTE) in an Australian sample. Cautious interpretation is warranted because of study limitations, especially the small unrepresentative sample. Further studies could increase confidence in the feasibility and validity of online LTE screening.

Keywords: closed-head injury, concussion, head trauma, lifetime exposure, mild traumatic brain injury, minor head injury, online assessment, repetitive injury.

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