Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is defined as a force directed to the head with less than 30 minutes of loss of consciousness and less than 24 hours of posttraumatic amnesia (i.e., disorientation, confusion). Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental disorder that can manifest in an individual after either directly or indirectly experiencing a traumatic event. The two disorders are unfortunately prevalent in Canada and lead to great suffering, disability and economic burden. In combatant populations, mTBI and PTSD co-occur in approximately 50% of individuals. Military personnel with TBI appear at elevated risk for developing PTSD and also report greater symptoms and health problems. Given the degree of overlap in symptoms, researchers have suggested a need for better understanding of the relationship between these two disorders. The proposed study is designed to further our understanding of this relationship, by recruiting veterans with PTSD with and without TBI. The present study is guided by the following hypotheses: We expect those with PTSD and mTBI (compared to those with PTSD only) will show greater symptoms of PTSD, mTBI, depression, anxiety and sleep disturbance. Furthermore, the PTSD and mTBI (vs. without TBI) group will endure worse outcomes of general health, interpersonal functioning, quality of life, functional impairment and cognitive functioning. Lastly, we will explore if there are certain factors that are unique to the PTSD/mTBI group, and whether humour as a coping mechanism can buffer the effects of PTSD. It is hoped that findings from this study will inform our understanding of these two disorders, reveal targets for the treatment of PTSD and mTBI, and guide the design of future treatment studies.