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EVEN 'MINOR' BRAIN INJURIES NOT MINOR
Childhood head injuries-even seemingly mild ones-can lead to hyperactivity and
learning disabilities. A new study indicates that, in addition, these injuries can lead to poor social
functioning, aggression, and antisocial behavior.
T. K. Andrews and colleagues compared 27 control subjects to 27 children who had
suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Of the subjects' brain injuries, eight were mild, nine
were moderate, and ten were severe. Subjects with penetrating wounds, evidence of abuse or
neglect, or pre-existing learning disabilities, psychological disorders, or developmental disorders
were excluded.
Andrews et al. report that "TBI children were found to have significantly lower levels of
self-esteem and adaptive behavior and higher levels of loneliness, maladaptive and
aggressive/antisocial behavior than comparison children." Notably, they say, "there were no
differences between the three TBI severity groups in terms of either social or behavioral
function"-a finding similar to that of other studies showing that even mild head injuries can
have serious consequences.
This new study adds to an extensive body of evidence linking head injuries to a wide
range of pathological behaviors. Among recent findings:
- A. K. Ommaya and colleagues found that the risk for a "behavioral" discharge from
the military was 1.8 times greater for those with mild traumatic brain injuries than for the
discharged population in general. Discharge for alcoholism or drug abuse was 2.6 times higher
for individuals with mild TBIs, and 5.4 times higher for those with moderate TBIs. In addition,
discharge for criminal convictions was 2.7 times higher for those with mild TBIs.
- Studying Vietnam veterans, J. Grafman and colleagues compared 279 vets who had
suffered penetrating head injuries to 57 controls matched for age, education, and time of service
in Vietnam. "The results indicated," the researchers say, "that patients with frontal ventromedial
lesions consistently demonstrated aggression/violence scale scores significantly higher than
controls and patients with lesions in other brain areas." The aggression in these subjects tended to
be verbal, rather than physical.
- A. Rosenbaum et al. studied men who abused their wives, men who were happily
married, and men who were unhappily married but did not abuse their wives. The researchers say
their data "confirmed that head injury was a significant predictor of being a batterer"
(see related article, Crime Times, 1995, Vol. 1, No. 1/2, Page 4).
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"Social and behavioural effects of traumatic brain injury in children," T. K. Andrews, F.
D. Rose, and D. A. Johnson, Brain Injury, Vol. 12, No. 2, 1998, pp. 133-138. Address: T. K.
Andrews, Department of Psychology, University of East London, London, E15 4LZ, UK.
--and--
"Outcome after traumatic brain injury in the U.S. military medical system," A. K.
Ommaya, A. M. Salazar, A. L. Dannenberg, A. B. Chervinsky, and K. Schwab, Journal of
Trauma, Vol. 41, No. 6, December 1996, pp. 972-975. Address: A. K. Ommaya, Defense and
Veterans Head Injury Program, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC 20307-5001.
--and--
"Frontal lobe injuries, violence, and aggression: a report of the Vietnam Head Injury
Study," J. Grafman, K. Schwab, D. Warden, A. Pridgen, H. R. Brown, and A. M. Salazar,
Neurology, Vol. 46, No. 5, May 1996, pp. 1231-1238. Address: J. Grafman, Cognitive
Neuroscience Section, NIH/NINDS/MNB, Bethesda, MD 20892-1440.
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