AN INITIAL STUDY OF THE EXAMINATION OF PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE OF SYMPTOMS AND SEQUELAE OF MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

Abstract

Almost 3 million Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) are reported in the United States annually, however this number is believed to be a significant underestimation of the true occurrence of TBIs. Although TBIs occur frequently, they are still largely misunderstood by the general public. This Past research demonstrates confusion regarding mechanism of injury, symptoms, and recovery. This study sought to build on previous research by collecting further information about TBI knowledge, specifically mild TBI (mTBI), as well as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) knowledge. Further, this study examined information source and thoroughly assessed TBI history. Participants answered questions related to mTBI. A total of 619 valid and complete responses were collected from three separate samples: General Public, College Students, and Psychology Trainees/Clinicians. Overall accuracy for the study fell at 69%, with highest accuracy on Symptoms questions (76.7%) and lowest accuracy on Treatment and Recovery questions (53.9%). Individuals reported gathering most of their TBI and CTE information from Health Care providers. Clinical implications for the general public, clinicians, and researchers are discusses as well as possible interventions.