Subjective sleep quality and postconcussion symptoms following mild traumatic brain injury

The goal of this investigation is to examine the prevalence of poor subjective sleep in patients with a history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and examine the relationship between subjective sleep quality and postconcussive symptoms (PCS), above and beyond the typical demographic and psychological distress variables.

Individuals with a history of mTBI completed online questionnaires. Regression analysis was utilized to determine if subjective sleep quality would predict PCS severity, above and beyond demographic variables and psychological distress.

Individuals with a history of mTBI (n = 158) completed surveys online. Sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and PCS with the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI). Demographic information was collected and psychological distress was measured using the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18).

In this sample, 92% of patients with mTBI reported poor sleep. Sleep quality significantly accounted for the variance in PCS, above and beyond demographics, time since injury and psychological distress (p < 0.001), although only a small amount of the variance in PCS was explained.

Results indicate that poor subjective sleep quality is a significant problem in those with mTBI. While sleep is associated with PCS severity, psychological distress is a more potent predictor.