Gender differences in coordination variability between shank and rearfoot during running

Female recreational runners are 2–3 times more likely to suffer from knee injury compared with male runners. However, the exact reason for this gender difference regarding knee injury remains unclear. Our study aimed to investigate gender differences in coordination variability between shank and rearfoot during running using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). Eleven healthy males and eleven healthy females ran on a treadmill. A modified vector coding technique procedure was used to create joint coupling between shank internal/external rotation and rearfoot eversion/inversion. The standard deviation of each coupling was computed as a measure of coordination variability during the stance phase. All trajectory data of coordination variability between genders were analyzed using a two-sample t-test of SPM. No differences in the normalized spatiotemporal parameters of speed, cadence and step length were found between males and females. SPM showed no significant differences between the genders in coordination variability. This study demonstrated that coordination variability between the shank and rearfoot during running may not be associated with the different incidence rates of knee injuries among male and female participants.     

Deployment trauma and seeking treatment for PTSD in US soldiers

Many service members in need of mental health treatment do not seek such treatment. This study investigated the frequency of Army soldiers’ exposure to specific types of deployment stressors and whether different event-types were associated with willingness to seek and actual receipt of treatment. Male soldiers who were married (n = 600) completed online surveys that assessed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), willingness to seek treatment for PTSD, actual receipt of PTSD treatment, and the frequency of exposure to 4 types of potentially traumatizing warzone experiences: committing a moral injury, observing a moral injury, threats to life, and traumatic loss. Soldiers who reported greater exposure to moral injury experiences (committed or observed) were less likely to be willing to seek treatment, regardless of PTSD symptom severity. Although exposure to moral injury did not differentiate actual treatment receipt, soldiers who endorsed loss were more likely to have received treatment, regardless of PTSD symptom severity. These results suggest that the types of trauma experienced during deployment may be a factor in postdeployment treatment-seeking attitudes and behaviors.     

Social Problem-Solving Abilities and Health Behaviors Among Persons with Recent-Onset Spinal Cord Injury

Although many persons with spinal cord injuries (SCI) are at risk for preventable complications, very little research has examined the health behaviors of these individuals. In this study, we examined self-reported health behaviors of persons with recent-onset SCI. We also studied the association between health behaviors and social problem-solving abilities. The results indicated that positive problem-solving characteristics were associated with more adaptive wellness and accident prevention behaviors. A negative orientation toward problem solving and avoidant and impulsive/careless styles was associated with increased traffic and substance risk taking. Implications are discussed in terms of health education, research, and prevention programs.     

Interactive effects of cumulative lifetime traumatic brain injuries and combat exposure on posttraumatic stress among deployed military personnel

Growing research links Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) with greater posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Much of this research has focused on the influence of the presence or severity of a single TBI while neglecting the potential cumulative effects of multiple TBIs incurred across an individual’s lifetime on combat-related PTSD. The present study addressed this gap using a sample of 157 military service members and 4 civilian contractors who underwent structured TBI interviews at a military hospital in Iraq and completed the Combat Experiences Scale (CES) and Posttraumatic Checklist – Military (PCL-M). Results indicated that a greater number of lifetime TBIs were associated with greater PTSD symptoms when accounting for the presence and severity of a recent, deployment-related TBI. Additionally, a significant interaction of number of lifetime TBIs and combat exposure emerged, indicating that exposure to combat yielded greater PTSD symptoms among those with multiple lifetime TBIs compared to those with one or zero lifetime TBIs. These data suggest that incurring multiple TBIs may amplify the link between combat exposure and PTSD and underscore the need to screen for lifetime TBI history.     

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Neurological Outcomes: A Review for Practitioners

ABSTRACT

Thirty-eight million women will experience intimate partner violence (IPV) during the course of their lifetime. Many of these women will experience brain injuries as a result of IPV and may not seek medical attention. Several types of practitioners who work with IPV survivors consistently, e.g., first responders, advocates, and clinicians, may be unfamiliar with brain functioning, screening, assessment, and treatment. This article reviews the dual traumas of IPV and TBI, the impact on neurological processes and symptomatology, and short and long-term outcomes. Recommendations for screening, intervention, interprofessional collaboration, and research are outlined.     

Developing an Occupation-Centred Framework for Trauma Intervention

Abstract

Experiencing work-related trauma can negatively impact coping abilities and daily life participation. Occupational therapists (OTs) often provide health services to workers who have experienced trauma, including military members, veterans, and public safety personnel. The Occupational Therapy Trauma Intervention Framework (OTTIF) is a novel clinical reasoning framework that matches a client’s level of readiness to engage with a spectrum of evidence-based OT approaches. Using surveys at two time points, evaluation of therapist experiences of using the OTTIF elicited positive feedback that suggests the OTTIF provides a useful occupation-centred framework for evidence-informed occupational therapy practice with clients who have experienced trauma.     

Depression and cognitive sequelae registered within the first year among young Danish TBI survivors

The aim of the study was to determine the proportion of depression and cognitive sequelae among young (15-30 years) Danish TBI survivors referred to interdisciplinary evaluation through a nationwide government-initiated health initiative. The cross-sectional study is based on data from the “Danish register for young adults with acquired brain injury” on TBI survivors included from October 2013 to December 2016. The main measures were Major depression inventory, Trail making test A and B, Fluency, Word learning with selective reminding, Matrix reasoning, Coding and Glasgow outcome scale - extended (GOS-E). During the study period, 131 young TBI survivors were referred to one of five national outpatient clinics. Ninety-six had complete data and of these 14.6% fulfilled the ICD-10 diagnostic criteria for depression and 34.4% had cognitive sequelae. An association was found between depression and cognitive sequelae (p = 0.004). Patients with both depression and cognitive sequelae (n = 10) had a significantly lower mean score on GOS-E (p = 0.0001). Depression and cognitive sequelae were frequent and associated with a poorer global functional outcome among young TBI survivors referred within a year after trauma. This finding and the notion that only 20% of the expected TBI population was referred to this nationwide health initiative indicate an unacknowledged need for interdisciplinary follow-up.     

Traumatic brain injury and adverse psychological effects: Examining a potential pathway to aggressive offending

Contemporary scholarship has demonstrated an association between traumatic brain injury (TBI) during adolescence and aggressive offending. Research, however, has yet to identify any mechanisms linking TBI to subsequent aggressive offending. Consequently, the current study hypothesized that adverse psychological effects is one such pathway. The current study used the Pathways to Desistance data set (n = 416) to examine the pathway of TBI to aggressive offending through adverse psychological effects. The findings of the structural equation model supported the hypothesized association. Specifically, increased exposure to TBI was indirectly associated with aggressive offending through adverse psychological effects. An additional supplemental analysis illustrated that a direct link between TBI and aggressive offending did not exist for the analytical sample. The findings suggested that the neurological disruptions commonly associated with TBI could result in direct increases in negative psychological outcomes and indirect increases in subsequent negative behavioral outcomes.     

The impact of motor vehicle injury on distress: Moderators and trajectories over time

Research reveals that motor vehicle injuries (MVIs) can result in severe and debilitating psychological distress. Yet, not every person who has sustained a MVI suffers psychologically. It appears that risk of distress varies by demographic and psychosocial characteristics. The present study aimed to explore the trajectories of post-MVI distress and the effect of pre-MVI psychological functioning on post-MVI distress. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to explore the longitudinal dataset from the Canadian National Population Health Survey. Participants were assessed up to nine years post-MVI. Post-MVI distress increased over time. Men experienced greater overall distress than women and a greater increase in distress over time. Pre-MVI distress predicted post-MVI distress. This relationship was strongest for those with greater pre-MVI alcohol consumption. At low levels of pre-MVI distress, greater pre-MVI alcohol consumption was related to lower post-MVI distress, but at high levels of pre-MVI distress, greater pre-MVI alcohol consumption predicted increased post-MVI distress. Those with partners experienced less distress than the unpartnered. This study supports the general findings of other post-MVI and post-trauma studies, although the current study’s main and interaction effects reveal more complex and nuanced relationships among variables in their prediction of post-MVI psychological distress.     

Rethinking Traumatic Brain Injury from Intimate Partner Violence: A Theoretical Model of the Cycle of Transmission

ABSTRACT

Despite growing evidence of the repeated nature of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV), there is no theoretical model depicting TBIs as a cyclical process throughout a lifetime. Situational analysis methodology was used on interviews with 10 women who self-reported passing out from being hit in the head during an episode of IPV to create a theoretical model depicting the cycle of transmission of TBI. We define the cycle of transmission of TBI as the way that women experience multiple TBIs over the course of their lifetime and how TBI can be perpetuated in a family or community. The cycle begins in childhood or adolescence, when women receive a TBI from abuse, sports, or motor vehicle accident. They enter into abusive relationships with men who are also described as living with a TBI and the women receive other TBIs during this relationship. With repeating head trauma, women described increasing TBI symptoms: problems with memory, cognition, executive functioning, depression, and concentration. If they do seek help, they must choose between healthcare and protective shelter. With either choice, the element of instability could be introduced and the cycle of transmission continues. This theoretical model shows that it is necessary to move beyond individual behaviors to think about how TBIs are transmitted through communities and how untreated symptoms can impact help-seeking behavior and perpetuate other risk factors for receiving a TBI.