Half of Homeless Men Suffered from Traumatic Brain Injury

First Posted: Apr 25, 2014 02:44 PM EDT
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A recent study reveals a connection between homelessness and traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital discovered that half of their study participants had sustained at least one TBI, with 87 percent of the injuries occurring before the men lost their homes.

Many injury causes were due to assaults at 60 percent. However, others were due to potentially non-violent mechanisms, including sports (44 percent) and motor vehicle collisions or falls (42 percent.)

Lead study author Dr. Jane Topolovec-Vranic, a clinical researcher in the hospital's Neuroscience Research Program, notes the importance of medical history screening among homeless patients. For TBIs in particular, they can be linked to other health issues including substance abuse, general poorer health and increased risk of seizures.

For the study, researchers looked at data involving 111 homeless men aged 27 to 81 years old who were recruited from a downtown Toronto men's shelter. Findings showed that 45 percent of the men had experienced a TBI, while another 70 percent were injured during childhood years.

For men under 40, drug or alcohol blackouts were the most common cause of TBI. Assault, however, was the most common cause for those over the age of 40.

The study highlights the controversy surrounding homelessness and choice. For those who sustained TBIs during younger years, this research challenges the assumption that homelessness is an alternative lifestyle defined by negative courses of action.

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More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal CMAJ OPEN

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