The prevalence of depression following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the psychosocial risk factors associated with this diagnosis will be explored. A total of 100 Australian adults between the age of 20-50 (N=60 TBI and N=40 non-TBI) will participate in clinical interviews and complete rating scales to assess depression and psychosocial risk factors. It is predicted that individuals who have sustained a TBI will report higher clinically significant rates of depression than those who have no incurred a TBI. Additionally, it is predicted that perceived stress, pain reported and poor psychosocial functioning will be antecedent psychosocial risk factors for developing depression after a sustained TBI. Implications of the results for TBI and depression risk factors for future research will be discussed. As such, it is important for clinicians to use best practice guidelines for the treatment of major depression in the absence of TBI.
The Prevalence of Depression & Psychosocial Risk Factors in Adults …show more content…
With fewer published studies exploring the associated risk factors of post-TBI depression, the studies which have been conducted, encompass broader subject populations which vary in age, gender, psychiatric history as well as when and the type of TBI sustained (Bay et al. 2002; Bombardier, 2010; Pagulayan et al., 2008). In contrast, there are other studies such as Elliott et al. (2015) and Vasterling et al. (2012) which only limit their research to TBI populations which are only exclusive to war veterans. Nonetheless, the majority of these studies suggest the most common risk factors for developing post-TBI depression were associated with pre-injury factors such as genetic influences, past psychiatric history as well as post-injury psychosocial
The Prevalence of Depression & Psychosocial Risk Factors in Adults …show more content…
With fewer published studies exploring the associated risk factors of post-TBI depression, the studies which have been conducted, encompass broader subject populations which vary in age, gender, psychiatric history as well as when and the type of TBI sustained (Bay et al. 2002; Bombardier, 2010; Pagulayan et al., 2008). In contrast, there are other studies such as Elliott et al. (2015) and Vasterling et al. (2012) which only limit their research to TBI populations which are only exclusive to war veterans. Nonetheless, the majority of these studies suggest the most common risk factors for developing post-TBI depression were associated with pre-injury factors such as genetic influences, past psychiatric history as well as post-injury psychosocial