Childhood Neighborhood Disadvantage and Cognitive Function among Veterans Recovering from Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract Objective Identifying risk factors and interventions for chronic symptoms following mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an important area of research for Veterans. Growing up in a disadvantaged neighborhood is associated with poorer health outcomes. We examined the relationship between childhood neighborhood disadvantage and cognitive outcomes among symptomatic Veterans with history of mild TBI. Method 58 Participants completed neuropsychological tests (CVLT-3, TMT A&B, COWA, Category Test), NSI, and PCL-5. The Neighborhood Atlas was used to derive disadvantage scores using childhood addresses. Global deficit scores were calculated as described by Heaton (2004). Results Neighborhood disadvantage was significantly correlated with CVLT-3 Total Learning (r = −0.26, p = 0.046), but not the overall global deficit or deficit performance across CVLT-3 Delayed Recall, TMT-A, TMT-B, COWA, and Category Test. There was a significant difference in neighborhood disadvantage between participants scoring in the deficit and normal ranges on CVLT-3 Total Learning (p = 0.046). There were no other differences in neighborhood disadvantage across other neuropsychological tests. There was a significant difference in PTSD symptoms between participants scoring within the deficit and normal ranges on the COWA (p = 0.002). There were no other significant group differences in neuropsychiatric symptoms or PTSD symptom severity. Conclusions Among Veterans in this sample, neighborhood disadvantage was not associated with cognitive function or cognitive deficits. Although neighborhood disadvantage is an important psychosocial risk factor for poor outcomes in the civilian literature, these results suggest that it may not be an important contributing factor in recovery from mild TBI for military Veterans.