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Who enrolls and why? Examining center-specific underlying patterns behind enrollment: a New York City-based traumatic brain injury model systems study

Ahmed, Asim; Smith, Michelle; Mandal, Soutrik; Bushnik, Tamara
BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:To elucidate the sociodemographic and study factors involved in enrollment in the Traumatic Brain Injury Model System (TBIMS) database, this study examined the effect of a variety of variables on enrollment at a local TBIMS center. METHODS/UNASSIGNED:A sample of 654 individuals from the local TBIMS center was studied examining enrollment by age, gender, race, ethnicity, homelessness status at date of injury, history of homelessness, health insurance status, presence of social support, primary language, consenting in hospital or after discharge, and the need for an interpreter. Binary logistic regression was conducted to identify variables that predict center-based enrollment into TBIMS. RESULTS/UNASSIGNED: < 0.01). Here, OR denotes the odds ratio estimate from a logistic regression model and P denotes the corresponding p-value. CONCLUSIONS/UNASSIGNED:These results can be useful in driving enrollment strategies at this center for other similar TBI research, and to contribute a representative TBI sample to the national database.
PMID: 38219046
ISSN: 1362-301x
CID: 5628772

Assessing menopause symptoms in women with traumatic brain injury: the development and initial testing of a new scale

Kalpakjian, Claire Z; Hanks, Robin; Quint, Elisabeth H; Millis, Scott; Sander, Angelle M; Lequerica, Anthony H; Bushnik, Tamara; Brunner, Robert; Rapport, Lisa
With greater survival rates after catastrophic injury, more women with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are living longer than ever. However, knowledge about this transition in these women is largely unexamined and there are no scales that have been developed to assess the experience of symptoms. To address this gap, we developed and tested a new scale of menopause symptoms in midlife women with TBI. We selected candidate items from two existing measures based on feedback from focus group discussions with seven women with TBI. Twenty candidate items were tested in cognitive interviews with six women with TBI/1 non-TBI. Then, these were field tested with 221 participants (TBI, n = 68; non-TBI, n = 153) recruited from registries. Rasch analysis and convergent validity testing were used to evaluate the new scale. Results of the Rasch analysis indicate that overall, the scale fits well the Rasch model with evidence for unidimensionality. Differential item functioning indicated that the scale performed equally well for women with and without TBI and distinguished pre- and post-menopausal states. Convergent validity was found in the expected directions. These findings support further development of the new scale to understand the experience of menopause symptoms among women with TBI.
PMID: 38097958
ISSN: 1541-0331
CID: 5588922

Women with limb loss: rationale, design and protocol for a national, exploratory needs assessment to evaluate the unique physical and psychosocial needs of women with limb loss

Disla, Roxanne; Pruziner, Alison L; Sidiropoulos, Alexis N; Ellis, Kathryn M; Bushnik, Tamara; Hyre, Michael J; Nelson, Leif M; Klingbeil, Heidi; Maikos, Jason T
INTRODUCTION:There is a growing population of women with limb loss, yet limited research is available to provide evidentiary support for clinical decision-making in this demographic. As such, there is a critical gap in knowledge of evidence-based healthcare practices aimed to maximise the physical and psychosocial needs of women with limb loss. The objective of this study is to develop a comprehensive, survey-based needs assessment to determine the unique impact of limb loss on women, including physical and psychosocial needs. METHODS AND ANALYSIS:A bank of existing limb loss-specific and non-limb loss-specific surveys were arranged around domains of general health, quality of life, prosthetic use and needs, psychosocial health and behaviours and body image. These surveys were supplemented with written items to ensure coverage of relevant domains. Written items were iteratively refined with a multidisciplinary expert panel. The interpretability of items and relevance to limb loss were then internally tested on a small group of rehabilitation, engineering and research professionals. A diverse sample of 12 individuals with various levels of limb loss piloted the instrument and participated in cognitive interviews. Items from existing surveys were evaluated for relevance and inclusion in the survey, but not solicited for content feedback. Pilot testing resulted in the removal of 13 items from an existing survey due to redundancy. Additionally, 13 written items were deleted, 42 written items were revised and 17 written items were added. The survey-based needs assessment has been crafted to comprehensively assess the wide spectrum of issues facing women with limb loss. The final version of the survey-based needs assessment included 15 subsections. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION:This study was approved by the Veterans Affairs Central Institutional Review Board. The results will be disseminated through national and international conferences, as well as through manuscripts in leading peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER:No healthcare intervention on human participants was conducted.
PMCID:10496675
PMID: 37696626
ISSN: 2044-6055
CID: 5593862

Spatiotemporal profile of atrophy in the first year following moderate-severe traumatic brain injury

Brennan, Daniel J; Duda, Jeffrey; Ware, Jeffrey B; Whyte, John; Choi, Joon Yul; Gugger, James; Focht, Kristen; Walter, Alexa E; Bushnik, Tamara; Gee, James C; Diaz-Arrastia, Ramon; Kim, Junghoon J
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) triggers progressive neurodegeneration resulting in brain atrophy that continues months-to-years following injury. However, a comprehensive characterization of the spatial and temporal evolution of TBI-related brain atrophy remains incomplete. Utilizing a sensitive and unbiased morphometry analysis pipeline optimized for detecting longitudinal changes, we analyzed a sample consisting of 37 individuals with moderate-severe TBI who had primarily high-velocity and high-impact injury mechanisms. They were scanned up to three times during the first year after injury (3 months, 6 months, and 12 months post-injury) and compared with 33 demographically matched controls who were scanned once. Individuals with TBI already showed cortical thinning in frontal and temporal regions and reduced volume in the bilateral thalami at 3 months post-injury. Longitudinally, only a subset of cortical regions in the parietal and occipital lobes showed continued atrophy from 3 to 12 months post-injury. Additionally, cortical white matter volume and nearly all deep gray matter structures exhibited progressive atrophy over this period. Finally, we found that disproportionate atrophy of cortex along sulci relative to gyri, an emerging morphometric marker of chronic TBI, was present as early as 3 month post-injury. In parallel, neurocognitive functioning largely recovered during this period despite this pervasive atrophy. Our findings demonstrate msTBI results in characteristic progressive neurodegeneration patterns that are divergent across regions and scale with the severity of injury. Future clinical research using atrophy during the first year of TBI as a biomarker of neurodegeneration should consider the spatiotemporal profile of atrophy described in this study.
PMID: 37399336
ISSN: 1097-0193
CID: 5539062

Societal Participation of People with Traumatic Brain Injury Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A NIDILRR Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Study

Venkatesan, Umesh M; Adams, Leah M; Rabinowitz, Amanda R; Agtarap, Stephanie; Bombardier, Charles H; Bushnik, Tamara; Chiaravalloti, Nancy D; Juengst, Shannon B; Katta-Charles, Sheryl; Perrin, Paul B; Pinto, Shanti M; Weintraub, Alan; Whiteneck, Gale G; Hammond, Flora M
OBJECTIVE:To examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on societal participation in people with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). DESIGN/METHODS:Cross-sectional retrospective cohort. SETTING/METHODS:National TBI Model Systems (TBIMS) centers, United States. PARTICIPANTS/METHODS:TBIMS enrollees (N=7,003), ages 16 and older and 1-30 years post-injury, interviewed either pre-pandemic (PP) or during the pandemic (DP). The sample was primarily male (72.4%) and White (69.5%), with motor vehicle accidents as the most common cause of injury (55.1%). INTERVENTIONS/METHODS:Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE/METHODS:The 3 subscales of the Participation Assessment with Recombined Tools-Objective (PART-O): Out and About (community involvement), Productivity, and Social Relations. RESULTS:Out and About, but not Productivity or Social Relations, scores were appreciably lower among DP participants compared to PP participants (medium effect). Demographic and clinical characteristics showed similar patterns of association with participation domains across PP and DP. When their unique contributions were examined in regression models, age, self-identified race, education level, employment status, marital status, income level, disability severity, and life satisfaction were variably predictive of participation domains, though most effects were small or medium in size. Depression and anxiety symptom severities each showed small zero-order correlations with participation domains across PP and DP, but had negligible effects in regression analyses. CONCLUSIONS:Consistent with the impact of COVID-19 on participation levels in the general population, people with TBI reported less community involvement during the pandemic, potentially compounding existing post-injury challenges to societal integration. The pandemic does not appear to have altered patterns of association between demographic/clinical characteristics and participation. Assessing and addressing barriers to community involvement should be a priority for TBI treatment providers. Longitudinal studies of TBI that consider pandemic-related effects on participation and other societally linked outcomes will help to elucidate the potential longer-term impact the pandemic has on behavioral health in this population.
PMCID:9889276
PMID: 36736808
ISSN: 1532-821x
CID: 5420602

Comparison of Informational and Educational Resource Provision for Individuals Living With Traumatic Brain Injury Based on Language, Nativity, and Neighborhood

Wilson, Judith; McGiffin, Jed N; Smith, Michelle; Garduño-Ortega, Olga; Talis, Elina; Zarate, Alejandro; Jenkins, Natalie; Rath, Joseph F; Bushnik, Tamara
OBJECTIVE:To examine a resource provision program for individuals living with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), using a comparison of the resources provided across social differences of language, nativity, and neighborhood. SETTING/METHODS:The Rusk Rehabilitation TBI Model System (RRTBIMS) collects data longitudinally on individuals from their associated private and public hospitals, located in New York City. PARTICIPANTS/METHODS:A total of 143 individuals with TBI or their family members. DESIGN/METHODS:An observational study of relative frequency of resource provision across variables of language, nativity, and neighborhood, using related-samples nonparametric analyses via Cochran's Q test. MAIN MEASURES/METHODS:Variables examined were language, place of birth, residence classification as medically underserved area/population (MUA), and resource categories. RESULTS:Results indicate that US-born persons with TBI and those living in medically underserved communities are provided more resources than those who are born outside the United States or reside in communities identified as adequately medically served. Language was not found to be a factor. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Lessons learned from this research support the development of this resource provision program, as well as guide future programs addressing the gaps in health information resources for groups negatively impacted by social determinants of health (SDoH). An approach with immigrant participants should take steps to elicit questions and requests, or offer resources explicitly. We recommend research looking at what interpreter strategies are most effective and research on SDoH in relation to the dynamic interaction of variables in the neighborhood setting.
PMID: 36730859
ISSN: 1550-509x
CID: 5420432

Replicability of proton MR spectroscopic imaging findings in mild traumatic brain injury: Implications for clinical applications

Chen, Anna M; Gerhalter, Teresa; Dehkharghani, Seena; Peralta, Rosemary; Gajdošík, Mia; Gajdošík, Martin; Tordjman, Mickael; Zabludovsky, Julia; Sheriff, Sulaiman; Ahn, Sinyeob; Babb, James S; Bushnik, Tamara; Zarate, Alejandro; Silver, Jonathan M; Im, Brian S; Wall, Stephen P; Madelin, Guillaume; Kirov, Ivan I
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE:H MRS) offers biomarkers of metabolic damage after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), but a lack of replicability studies hampers clinical translation. In a conceptual replication study design, the results reported in four previous publications were used as the hypotheses (H1-H7), specifically: abnormalities in patients are diffuse (H1), confined to white matter (WM) (H2), comprise low N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) levels and normal choline (Cho), creatine (Cr) and myo-inositol (mI) (H3), and correlate with clinical outcome (H4); additionally, a lack of findings in regional subcortical WM (H5) and deep gray matter (GM) structures (H6), except for higher mI in patients' putamen (H7). METHODS:26 mTBI patients (20 female, age 36.5 ± 12.5 [mean ± standard deviation] years), within two months from injury and 21 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls were scanned at 3 Tesla with 3D echo-planar spectroscopic imaging. To test H1-H3, global analysis using linear regression was used to obtain metabolite levels of GM and WM in each brain lobe. For H4, patients were stratified into non-recovered and recovered subgroups using the Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended. To test H5-H7, regional analysis using spectral averaging estimated metabolite levels in four GM and six WM structures segmented from T1-weighted MRI. The Mann-Whitney U test and weighted least squares analysis of covariance were used to examine mean group differences in metabolite levels between all patients and all controls (H1-H3, H5-H7), and between recovered and non-recovered patients and their respectively matched controls (H4). Replicability was defined as the support or failure to support the null hypotheses in accordance with the content of H1-H7, and was further evaluated using percent differences, coefficients of variation, and effect size (Cohen's d). RESULTS:Patients' occipital lobe WM Cho and Cr levels were 6.0% and 4.6% higher than controls', respectively (Cho, d = 0.37, p = 0.04; Cr, d = 0.63, p = 0.03). The same findings, i.e., higher patients' occipital lobe WM Cho and Cr (both p = 0.01), but with larger percent differences (Cho, 8.6%; Cr, 6.3%) and effect sizes (Cho, d = 0.52; Cr, d = 0.88) were found in the comparison of non-recovered patients to their matched controls. For the lobar WM Cho and Cr comparisons without statistical significance (frontal, parietal, temporal), unidirectional effect sizes were observed (Cho, d = 0.07 - 0.37; Cr, d = 0.27 - 0.63). No differences were found in any metabolite in any lobe in the comparison between recovered patients and their matched controls. In the regional analyses, no differences in metabolite levels were found in any GM or WM region, but all WM regions (posterior, frontal, corona radiata, and the genu, body, and splenium of the corpus callosum) exhibited unidirectional effect sizes for Cho and Cr (Cho, d = 0.03 - 0.34; Cr, d = 0.16 - 0.51). CONCLUSIONS:H MRS biomarkers for mTBI may best be achieved by using high signal-to-noise-ratio single-voxels placed anywhere within WM. The biochemical signature of the injury, however, may differ and therefore absolute levels, rather than ratios may be preferred. Future replication efforts should further test the generalizability of these findings.
PMCID:9898311
PMID: 36724732
ISSN: 2213-1582
CID: 5426722

Perceived care partner burden at 1-year post-injury and associations with emotional awareness, functioning, and empathy after TBI: A TBI model systems study

Klyce, Daniel W; Merced, Kritzianel; Erickson, Alexander; Neumann, Dawn M; Hammond, Flora M; Sander, Angelle M; Bogner, Jennifer A; Bushnik, Tamara; Chung, Joyce S; Finn, Jacob A
BACKGROUND:People with traumatic brain injury (TBI) can lack awareness of their own emotions and often have problems with emotion dysregulation, affective disorders, and empathy deficits. These impairments are known to impact psychosocial behaviors and may contribute to the burden experienced by care partners of individuals with TBI. OBJECTIVE:To examine the associations of emotional awareness, emotional functioning, and empathy among participants with TBI with care partner burden. METHOD/METHODS:This multisite, cross-sectional, observational study used data from 90 dyads (participants with TBI and their care partner) 1-year post-injury. Participants with TBI completed the Difficulty with Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS; Awareness, Clarity, Goals, Impulse, Nonacceptance, and Strategies subscales); PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version; NIH Toolbox Anger-Affect, Hostility and Aggression Subdomains; PHQ-9; GAD-7; and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (empathic concern and perspective taking subscales). Care partners completed the Zarit Burden Inventory (ZBI) and provided demographic information. RESULTS:Care partners were predominately female (77%), and most were either a spouse/partner (55.2%) or parent (34.4%). In an unadjusted model that included assessments of emotional awareness, emotional functioning, and empathy of the participant with TBI, the DERS-Awareness and NIH-Hostility subscales accounted for a significant amount of variance associated with care partner burden. These findings persisted after adjusting for care partner age, relationship, education, and the functional status of the participant with TBI (β= 0.493 and β= 0.328, respectively). CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:These findings suggest that high levels of hostility and low emotional self-awareness can significantly affect the burden felt by TBI care partners.
PMID: 36617759
ISSN: 1878-6448
CID: 5419012

Brief Report: Cognitive Dependence in Physically Independent Patients at Discharge from Acute Traumatic Brain Injury Rehabilitation

Rath, Joseph F; McGiffin, Jed N; Glubo, Heather; McDermott, Hannah W; Beattie, Aaron; Arutiunov, Caitlyn; Schaefer, Lynn A; Im, Brian; Bushnik, Tamara
OBJECTIVE:To determine the incidence of cognitive dependence in adults who are physically independent at discharge from acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) rehabilitation. DESIGN/METHODS:Analysis of historical clinical and demographic data obtained from inpatient stay. SETTING/METHODS:Inpatient rehabilitation unit in a large, metropolitan university hospital. PARTICIPANTS/METHODS:Adult inpatients with moderate-to-severe TBI (N = 226) who were physically independent at discharge from acute rehabilitation. INTERVENTIONS/METHODS:Not applicable MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: FIM Motor and Cognitive subscales, discharge destination, and care plan. RESULTS:Approximately 69% (n = 155) of the physically independent inpatients were cognitively dependent at discharge from acute rehabilitation, with the highest proportions of dependence found in the domains of problem solving and memory. Most (82.6%; n =128) of these physically independent, yet cognitively dependent, patients were discharged home. Of those discharged to home, 82% (n = 105) were discharged to the care of family members, and 11% (n = 15) were discharged home alone. Patients from racial-ethnic minority backgrounds were significantly more likely than White patients to be discharged while cognitively dependent. CONCLUSIONS:The majority of physically independent TBI patients were cognitively dependent at the time of discharge from acute inpatient rehabilitation. Further research is needed to understand the impact of cognitive dependence on caregiver stress and strain and the disproportionate burden on racial-ethnic minority patients and families. Given the potential functional and safety limitations imposed by cognitive deficits, healthcare policy and practice should facilitate delivery of cognitive rehabilitation services in acute TBI rehabilitation.
PMID: 35196504
ISSN: 1532-821x
CID: 5163132

Participation importance and satisfaction across the lifespan: A traumatic brain injury model systems study

Juengst, Shannon B; Erler, Kimberly S; Neumann, Dawn; Kew, Chung Lin Novelle; Goldin, Yelena; O'Neil-Pirozzi, Therese M; Rabinowitz, Amanda; Niemeier, Janet; Bushnik, Tamara; Dijkers, Marcel
OBJECTIVE:In rehabilitation research and practice, participation is defined as involvement in life situations and most often measured as frequency of engaging in these life situations. This narrow measurement approach overlooks that individuals perceive importance of and satisfaction with participation in activities in various life areas differently. The purpose of this study was to determine differences in meaningful participation (perceived importance and satisfaction) after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) across age groups and to identify predictors of participation satisfaction. METHOD/METHODS:Secondary data analysis of a TBI Model Systems substudy, including the Participation Assessment with Recombined Tools-Subjective (PART-S) that rates participation importance and satisfaction in 11 life areas that we grouped into three domains (i.e., productivity, social relations, out-and-about). We identified differences across age groups (i.e., 16 to 24 years, 25 to 44 years, 45 to 64 years, and 65 + years) and predictors of participation satisfaction. RESULTS:Participation satisfaction in and importance of the 11 life areas varied across age groups. In all age groups, participants rated relationships as being of medium or high importance more often than other life areas. Older adults reported the highest participation satisfaction across life areas, despite having the lowest participation frequency. Consistent predictors of participation satisfaction were cognitive functioning and frequency of participation in the domain examined. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Participation importance, satisfaction, and frequency are related, yet distinct, dimensions of participation that should all be measured to adequately evaluate meaningful participation. Future research should explore interventions across the lifespan that target modifiable predictors, like functional cognition and access to frequent participation in important life activities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
PMID: 35834205
ISSN: 1939-1544
CID: 5269332