Abstract:
The objective was to determine the relative contributions of substance abuse history and violent etiology to the prediction of outcomes for individuals who sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) requiring inpatient rehabilitation. In this study, almost 80% of persons with injuries due to violence-related causes had a history of substance abuse. Substance abuse was found to contribute to the prediction of life satisfaction and productivity, while violent etiology was not a significant contributor to predictive models. The results of this study emphasize the need to include substance abuse history in all studies of outcomes following TBI, and to increase prevention efforts in order to limit the effects of such a history