How do TBIs affect coping with stressors?

After taking a blow to the head, it is not unusual for head injury victims to suffer from effects in the aftermath. This can include impacts on a victim’s ability to cope with stress.

But how do brain injuries – especially traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) – impact one’s ability to cope with stress?

Coping with stress after a TBI

The CDC Injury Center looks into coping with stressors after a brain injury. Simply put, the way a brain injury affects a victim hinges on several factors. This includes the area of brain-injured, the severity of the injury and the overall wellness and health of the victim before the incident. Sometimes, sheer luck plays a role as well, with some people recovering much faster and more smoothly than others for seemingly no reason.

TBI victims will often struggle with their ability to cope with stress specifically, however. Many will suffer from a reduction of impulse control, especially those who take damage to the frontal lobe. Even more will end up dealing with increased rates of aggression and agitation, i.e. feeling irritated over smaller things, or getting annoyed more often.

New reactions to old stress

These can overlap and create a lowered resistance to the daily stressors inherent in life. In short, a victim of a TBI may find themselves unable to cope with the daily stress that they previously thought nothing of.

This can create an issue with employability, especially as many TBI sufferers will struggle with mental health breakdowns rather than coping with these problems in a normal way. Too much volatility can jeopardize one’s job and lower their employability, which is why getting treatment and seeking compensation is so crucial.