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Patterns of alcohol use 1 year after traumatic brain injury: A population-based, epidemiological study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 May 2005

MICHAEL DAVID HORNER
Affiliation:
Mental Health Service, Ralph H. Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Charleston, SC Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
PAMELA L. FERGUSON
Affiliation:
Department of Biometry and Epidemiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
ANBESAW W. SELASSIE
Affiliation:
Department of Biometry and Epidemiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
LAWRENCE A. LABBATE
Affiliation:
Mental Health Service, Ralph H. Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Charleston, SC Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
KATHRYN KNIELE
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
JOHN D. CORRIGAN
Affiliation:
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
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Abstract

This study delineated patterns of alcohol use 1 year after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a large, population-based, epidemiological, nonclinical sample, and identified predictors of heavy alcohol use in these individuals. Participants were 1,606 adults identified by review of a South Carolina statewide hospital discharge data set, on the basis of satisfying the Centers for Disease Control case definition of TBI, and were interviewed by telephone 1 year after TBI-related discharge. Alcohol use in the month prior to interview was classified according to categories from the Quantity–Frequency–Variability Index; heavy drinking was defined as nearly daily use with ≥ 5 drinks at least occasionally, or at least three occasions with ≥ 5 drinks. A polychotomous logistic regression with 3 response levels (heavy, moderate, and abstinent/infrequent/light drinking) was used to identify predictors of heavy drinking. Heavy drinking in the month prior to interview was reported by 15.4% of participants, while 14.3% reported moderate drinking and 70.3% reported abstinence or light/infrequent drinking. Risk factors for heavy drinking included male gender, younger age, history of substance abuse prior to TBI, diagnosis of depression since TBI, fair/moderate mental health, and better physical functioning. There was no association between drinking patterns and TBI severity. (JINS, 2005, 11, 322–330.)

Information

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2005 The International Neuropsychological Society
Figure 0

Characteristics of persons with TBI by alcohol use, expressed as percentage of the sample

Figure 1

Number of occasions in the past month on which five or more alcoholic beverages were consumed

Figure 2

Crude and adjusted odds ratios of alcohol use after TBI by various risk characteristics