Relationship between Anxiety after Traumatic Brain Injury and Demographic Characteristics in a Three-Year Follow-up

Traumatic brain injury is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the world. Anxiety is one of the most common and important psychological reactions of this disease, which aggravates the course of the disease and overshadows the lives of patients. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between anxiety and different demographic groups three years after traumatic brain injury.

The statistical population of this cross-sectional study included 409 patients with traumatic brain injury referring to Imam Khomeini Hospital, Sari, Iran, within 2010-2014. Among this population, 97 patients were selected using the purposive sampling method. The required data were collected using the Spielberger Anxiety Inventory and a researcher-made demographic questionnaire (with a score range of 40-160).

The findings showed that anxiety after traumatic brain injury had a significant relationship with gender (P=0.010) and material status (P=0.044). However, it did not show a significant relationship with age (P=0.361), educational level (P= 0.666), and place of residence (P=0.876).

Due to the high prevalence of anxiety in patients with traumatic brain injury, it seems necessary to screen anxiety in such patients. Diagnosis and treatment of anxiety in the early stages play important roles in improving the quality of life of these patients.