Behavior-descriptive data on cognitive, personality, and somatic residua after relatively mild brain trauma: Studying the syndrome as a whole

Abstract

Protracted symptomatology in some victims of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) continues to puzzle researchers. This study endeavors to demonstrate that all aspects of the syndrome—cognitive, physical, personal/psychosocial, and situational—must be considered, along with their nonlinear interaction, for resolving the issue and advancing our understanding of the disorder's dual etiology. The sample consisted of 21 MTBI patients referred for clinical-neuropsychologic evaluation. The Grounded Theory model was followed for data generation and retrospective analysis of records. Raw-score profiles, consisting of self-reports and reports of reliable observers tabulated on 20 behavioral categories of cognitive, personality, and somatic dysfunction, were studied against the background of biographical and situational information. The individually specific meaning of profile variables in the context of their interaction with personality and life-situational factors (as uncovered through comparative analysis of pre- and post-injury functioning) was portrayed in excerpts from case studies.