A-145 Evaluating Attention and Processing Speed and Executive Functioning Abilities in Hispanic Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors and Healthy Adults

Abstract

Abstract Objective We examined the effects of attention/processing speed (APS) and executive functioning (EF) in Hispanic and Caucasian traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors and healthy comparison participants (HC). Method The sample consisted of 45 HC (21 Hispanics & 24 Caucasian), 28 acute TBI (ATBI; 10 Hispanics & 18 Caucasians), and 26 chronic TBI (CTBI; 9 Hispanics; 17 Caucasians) participants. ATBI participants were tested 6 months post-injury; CTBI participants were tested 12 months or more post-injury. Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) Oral, SDMT Written, Stroop Word, Stroop Color, and Trail Making Test (TMT) part A were used to create an APS composite (APSC) score. Stroop color-word, TMT part B, Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System verbal fluency composite score, and design fluency composite score were used to create an EF composite (EFC) score. Results ANOVAs were used to evaluate group differences. Main effects were found on APSC, p = .000, with HC and CTBI outperforming the ATBI group. Also, we found the HC group outperformed both TBI groups on EFC, p = .000. Furthermore, we found differences between racial/ethnic groups, with Caucasians outperforming Hispanics on EFC performance, p = .029. No interactions were found. Conclusion Overall, HC demonstrated better EF compared to both TBI groups, but only APS compared to the ATBI group. Also, CTBI survivors demonstrated better APS abilities compared to ATBI survivors. Our findings suggest improvement in APS during the later stages of TBI recovery. Finally, Caucasians demonstrated better EF compared to Hispanics.