knowledge of mild traumatic brain injury: effects of age, locality, occupation, media and sports participation

Aims: Misconceptions about the effects, treatment and diagnosis of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) have been reported as robust. These misconceptions can have detrimental effects on TBI survivors. The aim of this study was to understand Australians’ knowledge in relation to TBI and gather data on which information sources respondents relied. Method: Australian participants (n = 373) were recruited through a university email distribution list and social media. A modified Common Misconceptions about Traumatic Brain Injury Questionnaire (CM-TBI) (Linden, Braiden & Miller, 2013) was administered online. Additionally, respondents provided demographic information and endorsed possible sources of TBI knowledge. Results: Misconceptions about TBI were reported by participants, irrespective of gender, locality, occupation, or history of sports participation. There were no significant differences in knowledge scores across these demographic groups. In particular, healthcare and education workers did not score any higher than other occupations. At least 40% of respondents answered either incorrectly or “I don’t know” on items related to gender differences, the utility of neuroimaging, and patient insight into their impairments. For those in non-medical, professional occupations, the older they were the less they knew about TBI (r = -.299, p = 0.009). In contrast, a positive correlation (r = 0.268, p = 0.018) was found between age and TBI knowledge for workers in healthcare or education. Conclusions: Misconceptions about TBI are present in Australia and are consistent across genders, localities, occupations and sport participation groups. A concern is that risk for misconceptions is not lower in healthcare or education professions. This suggests that professional development for groups most likely to be the frontline referral resources and supports for head injured children and adults may require further training.