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Updated: Feb 9, 2026
Controlled Cortical Impact Model for Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: August 5, 2014
Race/Ethnicity and Retention in Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes Research: A Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems
Angelle M Sander1, Anthony H Lequerica, Jessica M Ketchum
1Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine/Harris Health System and Brain Injury Research Center, TIRR Memorial Hermann, Houston, Texas (Dr Sander); Kessler Foundation and Rutgers, New Jersey Medical School, West Orange (Dr Lequerica); Craig Hospital, Englewood, Colorado (Dr Ketchum); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis (Dr Hammond); Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation/Neuropsychology and Occupational Therapy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond (Dr Gary); Division of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, and Brain Injury Research Center, TIRR Memorial Hermann, Houston, Texas (Dr Pappadis); University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida (Drs Felix and Johnson-Greene); and Rusk Rehabilitation, New York University Langone School of Medicine, New York (Dr Bushnik).
Objective:
To investigate the contribution of race/ethnicity to retention in traumatic brain injury (TBI) research at 1 to 2 years postinjury.
Setting:
Community.
Participants:
With dates of injury between October 1, 2002, and March 31, 2013, 5548 whites, 1347 blacks, and 790 Hispanics enrolled in the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems National Database.
Design:
Retrospective database analysis.
Main Measure:
Retention, defined as completion of at least 1 question on the follow-up interview by the person with TBI or a proxy.
Results:
Retention rates 1 to 2 years post-TBI were significantly lower for Hispanic (85.2%) than for white (91.8%) or black participants (90.5%) and depended significantly on history of problem drug or alcohol use. Other variables associated with low retention included older age, lower education, violent cause of injury, and discharge to an institution versus private residence.
Conclusions:
The findings emphasize the importance of investigating retention rates separately for blacks and Hispanics rather than combining them or grouping either with other races or ethnicities. The results also suggest the need for implementing procedures to increase retention of Hispanics in longitudinal TBI research.
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