An Examination of Public Knowledge of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Source of mTBI Knowledge and Implications

Abstract

Almost three million traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are reported in the United States annually. Although TBIs occur frequently, they are largely misunderstood by the public. Research indicates confusion regarding mechanism of injury, symptoms, and recovery. This study sought to build on previous research by collecting information about mild TBI (mTBI) knowledge, including information source and assessed TBI history. Participants answered questions related to mTBI. A total of 619 responses were collected from three separate samples: General Public, College Students, and Psychology Trainees/Clinicians. Overall accuracy for TBI knowledge 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 information from health care providers. Clinical implications for the general public, clinicians, and researchers are discussed as well as possible interventions.

Document Details

• Document Type: Technical Report
• Publication Date: Mar 28, 2022
• Accession Number: AD1165131

Entities

People

• Anne E. Sorrell
• D. E. Everhart
• Taylor E. Zurlinden

Organizations

• East Carolina University

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Best Practices
• Brain Injuries
• Consciousness Disorders
• Demography
• Diseases And Disorders
• Education
• Head Injuries
• Health
• Health Care
• Health Services
• Medical Personnel
• Mental Disorders
• Patient Care
• Psychology
• Public Health
• Social Media
• Students
• Training
• Universities

Readers

• Mental Health of Military Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Risk Factors, Prevalence, Symptoms, and Treatment.
• Systems Analysis and Design
• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Cognitive Aging in the Guam and Border Populations Affected by Alzheimer's Disease and Tau-Associated Dementias.