Abstract
Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a complex health issue which varies in severity, mechanism, and outcome. The emotional changes patients may experience following TBI, can impact their rehabilitation and quality of life. This study investigates if there is any difference in the depression -and anxiety burden in men and women following a traumatic brain injury, difference in the burden when it comes to age, and whether an intracranial injury affect the level of anxiety and depression experienced by these patients. Method: The study included 1375 patients over the age of 18 years, with 714 women and 661 male patients. The study used data collected from the “Oslo TBI Registry-rehabilitation” quality register at Oslo University Hospital from 01.01.2018-31.07.2022 and is based on questionnaires answered by the patients on their first consultation and at follow-ups with a physician at the specialized outpatient rehabilitation clinic. The questions focusing on the psychological status was the focus in this study and was reported in two scales: Patients Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD- 7). Descriptive statistics were used to describe the population, correlation analyses and the Mann-Whitney U test was used to explore the differences in the symptom burden. Results: This study found women to have a higher symptom burden with depression and anxiety than men. Patients with uncomplicated TBI reported a significantly higher symptom burden, whereas the correlation between age and symptom burden showed that increasing age is associated with a slight reduction of depression and/or anxiety symptoms after TBI. Conclusion: The study suggests the need for methods to screen for emotional symptoms in all TBI patients, especially those at higher risk which this study found to be female patients, patients with no intracranial abnormalities and patients of younger age.