Knowledge gained from the Brief Traumatic Brain Injury Screen--implications for treating Canadian military personnel

To compare physical and mental health outcomes of Canadian military personnel with probable mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) to outcomes of those without and to report implications for collaboration and treatment. One hundred forty-seven soldiers attending the Operational Stress Injury Clinic at Parkwood Hospital, London, Ontario, were screened for mTBI and completed several other measures of mental and physical health. Scores from these measures were compared across two groups (positive vs. negative screens for mTBI) using an independent samples t-test. Thirty-four of 147 participants screened positively for mTBI. Soldiers with probable mTBI were more likely to have poorer physical health but were less likely to engage in problem drinking than those who screened negatively for mTBI. In this initial study, we found that the wide range of physical and mental health difficulties experienced by Canadian military personnel with probable mTBI necessitates an interdisciplinary collaborative care model.