Trajectories of PTSD Symptoms following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) - Individuals with TBI are at increased risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which worsens cognitive, behavioral, and functional outcomes. It is imperative to understand how the course of symptoms changes in the first year following TBI to inform effectively timed interventions. Unfortunately, the current literature is lacking due to inadequate samples, insufficient assessment timing, and study design. Our goal is to conduct a longitudinal observational study examining the trajectories of PTSD symptoms to improve the health and function of individuals who have experienced TBI. Therefore, we aim to assess PTSD symptom prevalence and trajectory classes using a gold standard for PTSD diagnostic interview (CAPS-5) conducted monthly for 12 months following a TBI in comparison to a validated self-report measure (PCL-5) and examine the associations of PTSD diagnosis and symptom trajectory classes with sex, race, mechanism of injury, number and severity of TBI(s), ICU admission, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Our objectives are to enroll 150 adults with TBI at least one month from injury and assess their PTSD symptoms monthly for one year. Latent Class Growth Analysis will be used to analyze our hypotheses. Our research team will partner with our Advisory Board (individuals with TBI) to inform our research conduct and product development which will include a PTSD and TBI Factsheet as well as publications and presentations. Ultimately, an expected outcome of our three-year exploratory and discovery research proposal will be to provide an evidence base to inform the development of interventions for PTSD by better understanding symptom progression, timing, and prevalence rates following a TBI.
