AUTHOR=Fann Jesse R. , Hart Tessa , Bell Kathleen R. , Cole Wesley , Jain Sonia , Raman Rema , Barber Jason , Dikmen Sureyya , Richardson John , Stein Murray B. , Temkin Nancy 

TITLE=Effects of a modular telehealth intervention on comorbid conditions in service members with mild traumatic brain injury

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 16 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2025.1594748

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2025.1594748

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=ObjectiveMany active duty service members with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) report comorbidities such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, insomnia, and pain. We analyzed data from a prior randomized controlled trial (RCT) to examine the effects of evidence-based treatment modules, delivered by telephone, on the number and symptom burden of five common comorbidities.Setting and participants356 service members from two military medical centers who had sustained deployment-related mTBI in the preceding 2 years.DesignSecondary analysis of RCT comparing 6 months of telephone-delivered problem-solving treatment (PST) with comorbidity-specific modules to education only (EO).Main measuresComorbidity burden measured by Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Brief Symptom Inventory-Anxiety, PTSD Checklist, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory, Rivermead Postconcussion Symptoms Questionnaire (headache item) assessed at baseline and 6 and 12 months.Results47% of service members endorsed ≥ 3 comorbidities at baseline. At 6 months, the PST group had significantly fewer comorbidities, greater improvement in depression, anxiety, PTSD, and sleep, but not headache, and higher response/remission rates for depression and sleep, compared to EO. There were no significant group differences at 12 months.ConclusionTelephone-delivered PST with comorbidity-specific modules reduces burden of comorbidities after deployment-related mTBI. Research is needed on how to maintain improvements over time.