Brain Trauma Linked to Homelessness in
Males, New Study Shows
In a new study
done by St. Michael’s Hospital, results showed that almost half of all homeless
men who partook had suffered at least one traumatic brain injury in their
life. 87% of those injuries occurred before the men lost their homes. The study, led by Dr. Jane Topolovec-Vranic, who
works in the hospital’s Neuroscience Research Program, was published in the
journal CMAJ OPEN.
The study showed
that assaults were a major cause of the traumatic brain injuries (TBI’s for
short), accounting for about 60%. There
were also other non-violent ways that the men received these injuries, such as
sports and recreation, which made up 44% of the injuries as well as motor
vehicle collisions and falls, which compiled 42% of the TBI’s. The findings in this study suggest that such injuries could be a risk factor for
becoming homeless, according to Topolovec-Vranic. The doctor looked at data on 111 homeless men
between the ages of 27-81. They all were
recruited from a downtown Toronto men’s homeless shelter. Her findings also included 45% of these men
experiencing a traumatic brain injury, and of these, 70% were injured during
childhood or teenage years. Interestingly
enough, in men under 40 years old, falls from drug/alcohol blackouts were the
most common cause of TBI. In men over 40
years old, assault was the most common cause.
The article
concluded by talking about the fact that a TBI could predispose someone to
homelessness, and that this thought may challenge assumptions that homelessness
is a conscious choice made by individuals in a given situation, or the result
of their addictions or mental illnesses.
I think that this is a good question to ponder. There are a number of reasons why a person
may be in his or her situation, and who are we to judge them for how they are
living their life at any given moment?
Posted by Taylor Schille (Group C)
There are obviously a lot of factors that go into becoming homeless. One of the most important is money - if you don't have money, you can't have a home. And, to get money, you need a job. After this study, maybe the fact that these homeless people have experience brain trauma is keeping them from functioning correctly and keeping a job. With that being said, should these people get disability checks for their past trauma?
ReplyDelete-Nicole B
Interesting question Nicole. I think disability checks for brain injuries would be a good way to help get these individuals back on their feet. I think that it can be pretty clear to see the connection between brain trauma and employment rates.
Delete-Taylor S
Traumatic brain injuries are a risk that everyone feels, because the fall out can sometimes be worse that the original injury, homelessness being one of them. It would be nice to the the support system those men could have possibly had, to know if they even had a
ReplyDeletechance when the brain injury occurred. Of course due to the injuries I'm sure it was tough to get an accurate history of these men.
Posted by Thomas Flores
Yes, Thomas, these men certainly need a support system. Imagining being in their shoes is near impossible, and I think learning to deal with this type of injury takes adjusting to a whole new level.
Delete-Taylor S
I think you're right in the sense that we can't judge some one for the way they live their life. I really found it interesting that homeless people are affected by TBI, especially when you look back at their childhoods.
ReplyDeletePosted by Lindsey Janof
I know that many causes can induce TBI, yet, I was surprised that the rate of homelessness, and who have also suffered a TBI is a lot higher than others. But why is this so important? Will it affect us greatly?
ReplyDeleteBy Yim Hui
Reading an article like this really opens someones eyes so thank you Taylor for sharing this. One question I have for you, did the study talk about any other links to homelessness other than TBI's?
ReplyDeletePosted by Jacob Geier
Wow! This is an amazing study! If traumatic brain injury is so common among homeless people, I wonder if there are other medical problems that are also common in that population. Perhaps homeless people are just generally sicker than other people, andd traumatic brain injury is just one aspect of that..
ReplyDelete-JE