Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can lead to long term behavioural and personality changes and these changes may be different in men and women. Increased impulsivity, aggression, and difficulties regulating emotions have been reported in individuals who have sustained a TBI. These characteristics have also been noted in individuals who are incarcerated, and it is possible that sustaining a TBI could be a risk factor for future incarceration. The purpose of my study was to examine if TBI increased risk of incarceration and to examine if this relationship differed in young men and women. I identified approximately 1.5 million men and women, aged 18 to 28 years, who were living in the province of Ontario, Canada in 1997. I determined if these individuals had a TBI between 1997 and 2011 by extracting TBI-related hospital and ER visits from administrative records. I examined federal correctional records over the same time period to determine if individuals had been incarcerated. I found that TBI was an important risk factor for incarceration. Young men and women who had a TBI were three times more likely to be incarcerated than young men and women who did not have a TBI. My research suggests that sustaining a TBI increases the risk of being incarcerated. More research is needed to understand exactly the mechanisms behind this relationship so that effective gender-based interventions can be developed. These interventions could help divert Canadians away from the correctional system.