RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Homeless and precarious housed persons are particularly prone to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), but existent incidence rates are hampered by poor case acquisition. We rigorously documented TBIs in precariously housed persons transitioning in and out of homelessness. METHODS: Between December 2016 and May 2018, 326 precariously housed participants enrolled in a longitudinal study in Vancouver, Canada were assessed monthly for TBI occurrences after education on sequelae. Over one participant-year, 2433 TBI screenings were acquired for 326 person-years and variables associated with odds of incident TBI were evaluated. FINDINGS: One hundred participants acquired 175 TBIs, yielding an observed incidence proportion of 30·7% and event proportion of 53·7%. Of the injured, 61% reported one TBI and 39% reported multiple injuries. Acute intoxication was present for more than half of the TBI events assessed. Additionally, 9·7% of TBI events occurred in the context of a drug overdose. Common injury mechanisms were falls (45·1%), assaults (25·1%), and hitting one's head on an object (13·1%). In this community-based but non-randomly recruited sample, exploratory analyses identified factors associated with odds of an incident TBI over one year of follow-up, including: schizophrenia disorders (odds ratio (OR) = 0·43, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0·19, 0·94), role functioning (OR = 0·69, 95% CI 0·52, 0·91), opioid dependence (OR = 2·17, 95% CI 1·27, 3·72) and those reporting past TBIs (OR = 1·99, 95% CI 1·13, 3·52). INTERPRETATION: Given the ubiquity of TBIs revealed in this precariously housed sample, we identify an underappreciated and urgent healthcare priority. Several factors modified the odds of incident TBI, which can facilitate investigations into targeted prevention efforts. FUNDING: Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, William and Ada Isabelle Steel Research Fund, Simon Fraser University Vice-President Research Undergraduate Student Research Award and Simon Fraser University Psychology Department Research Grant.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is increasingly recognized as a common and impactful health determinant in homeless and precariously housed populations. We sought to describe the history of TBI in a precariously housed sample and evaluate how TBI was associated with the initial loss and lifetime duration of homelessness and precarious housing. METHOD: We characterized the prevalence, mechanisms, and sex difference of lifetime TBI in a precariously housed sample. We also examined the impact of TBI severity and timing on becoming and staying homeless or precariously housed; 285 precariously housed participants completed the Brain Injury Screening Questionnaire in addition to other health assessments. RESULTS: A history of TBI was reported in 82.1% of the sample, with 64.6% reporting > 1 TBI, and 21.4% reporting a moderate or severe TBI. Assault was the most common mechanism of injury overall, and females reported significantly more traumatic brain injuries due to physical abuse than males (adjusted OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.14 to 1.39, P < 0.0001). The first moderate or severe TBI was significantly closer to the first experience of homelessness (b = 2.79, P = 0.003) and precarious housing (b = 2.69, P < 0.0001) than was the first mild TBI. In participants who received their first TBI prior to becoming homeless or precariously housed, traumatic brain injuries more proximal to the initial loss of stable housing were associated with a longer lifetime duration of homelessness (RR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.02 to 1.06, P < 0.0001) and precarious housing (RR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.04, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate the high prevalence of TBI in this vulnerable population, and that aspects of TBI severity and timing are associated with the loss and lifetime duration of stable housing.
