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STUDY: Homeless men and traumatic brain injury
A recent study recruited 111 homeless men from a shelter in downtown Toronto, Canada, and found that of these, almost half had suffered at least one traumatic brain injury (TBI) in their life, according to an article on Medical News Today. The study, which took place at St. Michael's Hospital also found that 87 percent of the brain injuries reported occurred before the men became homeless.
Dr. Jane Topolovec-Vranic, a clinical researcher in the hospital's Neuroscience Research Program, was the lead researcher and assessed the causes behind the TBIs among the participants (aged 27 to 81 years old). The results were as follows:
- 60 percent were caused by assaults
- 44 percent were caused by sports and recreation
- 42 percent were caused by motor vehicle collisions and falls
Topolovec-Vranic commented in the MNT article that the most important piece to take from this study is that since a large portion of these men suffered a TBI before losing their home, it might "suggest that such injuries could be a risk factor for becoming homeless."
The article states:
That makes it even more important to monitor young people who suffer TBIs such as concussions for health and behavioural changes, she said.
