Cognitive Difficulties in Veterans with TBI and the Military-to-civilian Transition 4046

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an invisible wound prevalent in military veterans (Howard, 2022). Cognitive difficulties related to mild TBI typically resolve within six months, although subjective cognitive difficulties are reported longer (Donnelly, 2018). Subjective cognitive difficulties are not predictive of objective cognitive deficits (Mattson, 2019) and are influenced by psychological symptoms. The military-to-civilian transition is a significantly stressful event (Libin, 2017) and can increase PTSD symptoms and result in strained social relationships, productivity issues, and disconnection from the world (Shor, 2023). Increased stress and mental health symptoms related to the transition also likely lead to increased perceived cognitive difficulties. In addition, transition from the military to a culture with different values and structure can cause subjective experiences of cognitive dysfunction. Providing specific recommendations at the start of the military-to-civilian transition can improve quality of life, reduce severity and duration of cognitive and emotional symptoms, and improve recovery from TBI.