Utility of the trauma symptom inventory for the assessment of post-traumatic stress symptoms in veterans with a history of psychological trauma and/or brain injury

• Published in: Military medicine 2009-10, Vol.174 (10), p.1005-1009
• Main Authors: Bahraini, Nazanin H, Brenner, Lisa A, Harwood, Jeri E F, Homaifar, Beeta Y, Ladley-O'Brien, Susan E, Filley, Christopher M, Kelly, James P, Adler, Lawrence E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Brain Injuries - psychology; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Humans; Linear Models; Mental Disorders - psychology; Middle Aged; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Statistics, Nonparametric; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - diagnosis; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Trauma Severity Indices; United States; Veterans; Veterans - psychology
• ISSN: 0026-4075; 1930-613X
• DOI: 10.7205/MILMED-D-00-9509

Correspondence of three core Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) scales (Intrusive Experiences, Defensive Avoidance, and Anxious Arousal) and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-IV) PTSD module were examined among 72 veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI), PTSD, or both conditions. Subjects were classified into PTSD only, TBI only, or co-occurring PTSD and TBI groups based on TBI assessment and SCID-IV PTSD diagnosis. Linear regression was used to model TSI T-Scores as a function of group. Scores on all three scales significantly differed between the TBI and PTSD groups (PTSD only and co-occurring PTSD and TBI) in the expected direction. Study findings indicate that despite the potential overlap of symptoms between PTSD and TBI, the TSI appears to be a useful measure of trauma-related symptoms in veterans who may also have a TBI, particularly mild TBI. Limitations and areas for future research are discussed.