A Study of 309 Patients and at One Year Follow-Up for Depression after Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one the major causes of death and morbidity in developing countries, where depression is a common psychiatric condition among individuals with TBI. The objectives were to investigate the occurrence and severity of depression one-year post-TBI; the association between radiological findings and depression; and the risk factors. We report a cross-sectional study among adult patients who were hospitalized because of TBI in the past one year. A structured data collection form was used to collect patients' demographic data during TBI, while the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 questionnaire was administered to assess the level of depression at one-year post-TBI. Of the 309 patients in this study; 46.6%, 26.2%, and 27.2% had mild, moderate, and severe TBI, respectively. The overall rate of depression was 33.7%, where 22.3%, 8.7%, and 2.6% had mild, moderate, and moderately severe depression, respectively. There was a significant, positive correlation between severity of TBI and level of depression; r_s (0.427), p < 0.0001. The risk factors for depression at one-year post-TBI are moderate-severe TBI (odds ratio [OR]: 3.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.03–6.90, p < 0.00), being unmarried (OR: 2.67, 95% CI 1.51–4.72, p = 0.001), female gender (OR: 2.62, 95% CI 1.25–5.46, p = 0.011), alcohol consumption (OR: 2.38, 95% CI 1.12–5.06, p = 0.024) and frontal lobe injury (OR: 1.96, 95% CI 1.05–3.68, p = 0.035). Increasing severity of TBI is associated with worsening levels of depression. Patients with frontal lobe injury have the highest risk of depression, while diffuse injury is associated with occurrence of moderate and moderately severe depression.