Associations between brain drawings following mild traumatic brain injury and negative illness perceptions and post-concussion symptoms at 4 years

Abstract

Characteristics of patient’s drawings have been linked to short-term health-related outcomes across a range of health conditions. This study examined associations between brain drawings at 1 month and illness perceptions and post-concussion symptoms at 4 years in 92 adults following mild traumatic brain injury. Greater damage depicted at 1 month was correlated with perceived greater impact on life, duration of injury, symptoms of brain injury, emotional consequences and late-onset post-concussion symptoms. Results indicate that brain drawings shortly after traumatic brain injury offer a simple and insightful tool that may help to identify those who need additional support to improve long-term outcomes.