Long-term outcomes after moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury among military veterans: Successes and challenges

AbstractObjective: To assess long-term outcomes after traumatic brain injury (TBI) among veterans and service members.Setting: Regional Veterans Affairs medical centre.Participants: One hundred and eighteen veterans and military personnel, aged 23–70 years (median = 35 years), 90% male, had moderate-to-severe TBI (82% in coma > 1 day, 85% amnesic > 7 days), followed by acute interdisciplinary rehabilitation 5–16 years ago (median = 8 years).Design: Cross-sectional analysis of live interviews conducted via telephone.Main measures: TBI follow-up interview (occupational, social, cognitive, neurologic and psychiatric ratings), Community Integration Questionnaire, Disability Rating Scale (four indices of independent function) and Satisfaction with Life Scale.Results: At follow-up, 52% of participants were working or attending school; 34% ended or began marriages after TBI, but the overall proportion married changed little. Finally, 22% were still moderately-to-severely disabled. However, 62% of participants ju...