Substance abuse and crime patterns among persons with traumatic brain injury referred for supported employment

The present investigation examined the incidence of alcohol use, drug use and criminal behaviour among persons with traumatic brain injury referred for supported employment services. Primary caretakers of 74 consecutive referrals completed the General Health and History Questionnaire, the brief version of the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test, and the Quantity-Frequency-Variability Index. Pre-injury, a fifth of the sample were abstinent from alcohol and 66% were labelled as moderate or heavy drinkers. Post-injury alcohol use declined. Half of the sample were abstinent and 28% were moderate or heavy drinkers. Thirty-six percent reported illicit drug use pre-injury. Reportedly, post-injury drug use declined to an incidence of 4%. Nearly 20% of the sample had been arrested pre-injury and 10% were arrested post-injury. Implications for further research and programme development are discussed.