Metacognitive accuracy predicts self-reported quality of life following traumatic brain injury

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective Metacognition and quality of life (QoL) are both adversely affected by traumatic brain injury (TBI), but the relation between them is not fully understood. As such, the purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which metacognitive accuracy predicts QoL in individuals with TBI. Methods Eighteen participants with moderate-to-severe TBI completed a stimulus-response task requiring the discrimination of emotions depicted in pictures of faces and then provided a retrospective confidence judgment after each response. Metacognitive accuracy was calculated using participants’ response accuracy and confidence judgment accuracy. Participants also completed the Quality of Life After Brain Injury (QOLIBRI) questionnaire to assess QoL in various areas of functioning. Results Performance of a linear regression analysis revealed that higher metacognitive accuracy significantly predicted lower overall QoL. Additionally, higher metacognitive accuracy significantly predicted lower QoL related to cognition and physical limitations. Conclusion The study results provide evidence of an inverse relation between metacognitive performance and QoL following TBI. Metacognitive changes associated with TBI and their relation to QoL have several clinical implications for TBI rehabilitation.