Is Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Associated with Adult Alcohol Misuse?

Evidence suggests that pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) may be causally related to alcohol misuse later in life; however, the nature and extent of the association has not been well described. This study examined the relationship between pediatric TBI and adult alcohol misuse in a population sample ≥20 years of age. We sought to determine (1) whether first self-reported incidence of TBI with loss of consciousness (LOC) before the age of 20 increased the risk for alcohol misuse later in life; and (2) whether sex, injury severity, and age at time of injury modified the association. We found a greater likelihood of binge but not heavy drinking for those whose first self-reported TBI with LOC occurred before the age of 20 when compared with those whose first self-reported TBI with LOC occurred later in life (28.5% vs. 20.4%, = 0.003). When limited to those with only mild TBI, the relationship to binge drinking remained significant (31.9% vs. 19.3%,