Psychopathologic Evaluation in Patients With Nasal Bone Fractures

Area of Science:

• Trauma research
• Psychiatry
• Forensic medicine

Background:

• Nasal bone fractures (NBFs) are common injuries, frequently caused by violence, accidents, falls, and sports.
• The psychological profiles of individuals with NBFs are not well-understood.
• This study investigates potential links between NBFs and specific psychiatric conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate personality disorders, impulsivity, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in patients with nasal bone fractures.
• To compare psychiatric assessments between NBF patients and a healthy control group.
• To identify potential psychological risk factors associated with NBFs.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 41 NBF patients and 43 controls, all without prior psychiatric diagnoses, were assessed.
• Psychiatric evaluations included the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised-Short Form (EPQR-S), Barratt Impulsivity Scale-Short Form (BIS-11-SF), and Turgay's Adult ADD/ADHD DSM-IV-based Scale.
• Statistical analyses compared scores between the NBF and control groups.

Main Results:

• Violence was the leading cause of NBFs (41.5%), followed by traffic accidents (29.3%).
• NBF patients exhibited significantly higher scores on the EPQR-S (total, extroversion, psychoticism, lie subscales) and BIS-11-SF compared to controls.
• No significant differences in attention deficit or hyperactivity were found between the groups.

Conclusions:

• Psychoticism and impulsivity are more prevalent in individuals with nasal bone fractures.
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was not found to be significantly associated with NBFs in this study.
• Psychiatric assessment is advisable for patients with violence-related NBFs, regardless of their role as aggressor or victim.