JONESBORO – One Arkansas State University professor is using a sports medicine assessment originally developed for student-athletes to help military veterans after returning from deployment. Dr. Scott Bruce, a professor of athletic training and co-chair of the Veterans’ Suicide Prevention Program, is utilizing the Global Well-being Index (GWBI) to identify ongoing symptoms that may be related to past head injuries.

The Global Well-being Index

The GWBI is a survey that took 15 years to develop. The work began at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga while Bruce was a faculty member. The index is designed to identify ongoing symptoms that may be related to past head injuries, including physical and somatic, sleep, cognitive, and emotional and behavioral symptoms.

Participants are asked five questions related to each of these areas and how they have felt during the past 12 months. If a participant reports an issue in any of the five categories, they are then asked more specific questions about the frequency, recent occurrence, and severity of the problem. Each question awards points based on different degrees of severity, with a maximum of 10 points, and an overall total of 50.

Helping Veterans

Bruce recognized that the index may also benefit veterans who sustained concussions years ago but continue experiencing effects that may or may not be related to those head injuries. The research shows that someone with a GWBI score of 40 or higher (out of 50) is likely experiencing depression and anxiety.

For example, 89 out of 152 veterans reported having a history of concussion (58.6%) and 52 out of 152 reported having suffered multiple concussions (40.8%). Only 12 of the veterans reported zero residual symptoms on the GWBI. When we compare it to the concussion symptoms they reported, 38 reported no concussion symptoms. Somehow, that does not make sense.

Bruce concludes that many veterans may still be experiencing problems without recognizing them as concussion-related. He says the findings suggest that the GWBI may serve as a useful preliminary screening tool. Bruce continues to educate audiences and speak about the GWBI, including recently at the 77th National Athletic Trainers’ Association Clinical Symposia and AT Expo.

Original reporting: NEA Report (Jonesboro) — read the source article.