Emotion Dysregulation Following Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review

Emotion dysregulation (ED) after traumatic brain injury (TBI) can exacerbate a wide range of symptoms, including problems in restraining emotions and behaviors, executive function disorders, and diminished emotional awareness and expression. This study aims to systematically review these studies on emotion dysregulation (ED) in people with TBI.

Methods and Materials/Patients: 

PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, as well as Google Scholar, were systematically searched for required articles published between 1997 and 2023. The eligibility of identified literature was determined by screening the titles and abstracts by two autonomous researchers, denoted as the first author and the second author. Only those studies that reported either emotional regulation or expressive suppression in their findings of TBI adults were included in this review. The abstract and full text of search results were screened by Rayyan QCRI (Qatar Computing Research Institute) intelligent systematic review. Subsequently, the two researchers independently assessed the full-text versions of the residual articles to determine their admissibility. Disputes at each stage were amicably resolved through discourse and consultation.

Of the 773 articles identified, 361 studies remained after removing duplicate studies. A final 58 studies were retrieved for full-text screening based on inclusion criteria. So that after the renewed screening, 34 studies were included in this review, which indicated the existence of emotional problems in patients with TBI in all severities.

Even though numerous effective factors either physical or psychological aspects made brain injuries more complicated, long-term outcomes associated with post-injury emotional and mental distress and dysregulation have rarely been analyzed in terms of TBI treatment. Hence, by considering medical and clinical psychology care, a more comprehensive approach can be adopted to treat people with TBI and improve their quality of life.