Abstract
Objective: To investigate the relationship of psychiatric functioning with psychosocial functioning at 1 year followingtraumatic brain injury (TBI), after controlling for relevant demographic, injury-related, and concurrent factors.
Design: Prospective 1-year longitudinal study.
Participants: Participants were 122 individuals with TBI and 88 proxy informants.
Setting: Rehabilitation hospital.
Main Measures: The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition, Text Revision)) Axis I Disorders, HospitalAnxiety and Depression Scale, Sydney Psychosocial Reintegration Scale, and Glasgow Outcome Scale--Extended.
Results: At 1 year postinjury, occupational activities were the area of most change after TBI followed by interpersonal relationships andindependent living skills, according to the Sydney Psychosocial Reintegration Scale. The majority of participants were rated as havingmoderate disability on the Glasgow Outcome Scale--Extended. After controlling for relevant background factors, preinjury, acutepostinjury, and concurrent psychiatric disorders were significantly related to 1-year psychosocial outcome. Conclusion:Screening in the acute postinjury stage for presence of preinjury psychiatric history or current distress may help identify individualswho require more intensive rehabilitation and psychiatric support and more active postdischarge monitoring. Further research exploringpotential causal mechanisms for these findings is required.