In the long-run, traumatic brain injury (TBI) may cause changes in cognition, language and emotion, including irritability, impulsiveness and violence. An eight-year study from the University of Michigan School of Public Health asserts that young people who have sustained a head injury during their lifetime are more likely to engage in violent behavior. The study seems to have profound implications in the health-space.
Data from the School of Public Health’s Flint Adolescent Study was scrutinized for highlighting many issues regarding urban youth. After analyzing the data, it appeared that young people with a recent head injury were even more likely to display violent behavior. Scientists then followed a group of ninth-graders from four schools in Flint, Mich., into young adulthood. Annual interviews were conducted for over a period of eight years. Within years five and six, participants were questioned if they had ever sustained a head injury. About 23 percent allegedly suffered from a head injury and showed more violent behavior throughout the investigation.
“These are not necessarily sports-playing injuries. They could be from a car accident or from previous violent behavior, but it does support some of the sports research that’s been going on with concussions,” enlightened lead author Sarah Stoddard, a research assistant professor at the School of Public Health.
Authors also inspected the proximal relationship between a head injury and violent behavior. They concluded that an injury in year one leads to violent behavior by the eighth year. The seeming association between a head injury and later violence is stronger when a head injury was more recent. The study was concluded after adjusting for factors such as previous violent behavior. It was suggested that teens and young adults with head injury that did not interfere with their ability to participate in an hour-long interview also experienced considerable adverse developmental or behavioral effects.
The study is published in the journal Pediatrics.