Study: Nearly Half of Homeless Men Had TBI in Lifetime

In a study conducted at St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, almost half of all homeless men who participated had suffered at least one traumatic brain injury (TBI) in their lifetimes, 87 percent of the injuries occurring prior to their losing their homes. With assault as the major cause of TBI, sports, recreation, vehicle accidents and falls also accounted for the injuries. In men under age 40, falls from drug/alcohol blackouts were the most common cause of traumatic brain injury, while assault was the most common in men over 40 years old. Recognition that a TBI sustained in childhood or early teenage years could predispose someone to homelessness may challenge some assumptions that homelessness is a conscious choice made by these individuals, or just the result of their addictions or mental illness, said Dr. Jane Topolovec-Vranic, a clinical researcher in the hospital’s Neuroscience Research Program, who led the study. To learn more about the study, click here.