Prevalence of traumatic brain injury and access to services in an undergraduate population: A pilot study

Objectives: The aim of this pilot study was to identify the prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among undergraduate college students, compare common TBI symptoms reported by students with and without a history of TBI and explore how often students with and without TBI access campus services. Methods: A campus-wide email recruited participants to an online survey containing questions about their history of TBI, experience of TBI symptoms and use of services. Results: Of 201 undergraduates, 55.7% reported no history of TBI or hospitalization, 27.9% reported a history of hospitalization but not TBI and 16.4% reported a history of TBI. Significant differences were seen among groups in their experience of some physical and psychosocial symptoms such as dizziness and difficulty with relationships. Healthy and TBI groups reported significantly more symptoms than the hospitalized group, but did not differ from each other. Most participants reported using no services and there were no significant differences in the average number of symptoms experienced by those seeking vs not seeking services. Conclusions: A substantial proportion of undergraduates reported a history of TBI and the experience of symptoms that could negatively impact academic performance. Further study is needed to examine factors influencing their use of available services.