Disability and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey of Individuals With Traumatic Brain Injury.
Emily L Morrow, Nirav N Patel, Melissa C Duff
PMID 33529614WHAT IT FOUND
People with chronic moderate-severe TBI reported fewer pandemic-related changes to daily life, habits, and well-being than noninjured peers.
They also reported less frequent masking and staying home, while some said TBI made the pandemic harder.
Key findings
01Respondents with chronic moderate-severe TBI reported fewer pandemic-related changes to daily life, well-being, and habits than noninjured comparison participants.
02Respondents with TBI reported less frequently than comparison participants that they were staying home more when not at work, reducing nonwork outings, or wearing masks in public.
03Fourteen of 46 respondents with TBI said their injury history made the pandemic more challenging; among those reporting TBI-related changes, mental health concerns and increased cognitive challenges were cited.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study is descriptive and did not test whether TBI caused any reported differences. Responses were voluntary, and not all respondents answered every question, so many percentages have different denominators. The sample was small and limited to chronic moderate-severe TBI in a single metropolitan area during a constrained response window. Group differences were not statistically tested, so apparent differences may reflect chance. There was considerable variability within each group, so the survey does not describe every person with TBI. The survey captured self-reported behavior during a reopening phase with no mask mandate, so it may not apply to other pandemic conditions.
Declared interests
No author conflict-of-interest declaration is provided; the article is listed as NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the lower reported masking and staying-home rates as proof that TBI causes unsafe pandemic behavior. The study is a small descriptive survey, did not test hypotheses, and cannot establish why groups differed.