Self-perception in mild traumatic brain injury.

Abstract

The objectives of this study were (1) to describe a procedure for measuring preinjury and postinjury symptoms, (2) to compare these symptoms with normal controls and individuals with non-head related traumas, (3) to describe patterns in persistent symptomatology after mild traumatic brain injury, and (4) to document trends in self-perception as measured by retrospective ratings of symptoms after trauma. A total of 102 individuals with mild traumatic brain injury and 69 individuals with non-head-related traumas completed preinjury and postinjury symptom questionnaires 1 wk after trauma. Symptoms were compared with 115 normal controls. Three months after injury, a subgroup of the mild traumatic brain injury group completed symptom questionnaires again. A factor analysis and subsequent discriminant function analysis of the symptoms differentiated the groups. Retrospective ratings of preinjury symptoms by the two trauma groups were significantly less than the normal controls, implying misattribution. Most symptoms were somatic at 1 wk postinjury in both trauma groups. At 3 mo, the mild traumatic brain injury group endorsed more recall symptoms. The procedure was useful in differentiating groups by symptom patterns and increasing our knowledge of persistent symptomatology after mild traumatic brain injury. Misattribution, the unrealistic self-perception of symptoms after the event of a trauma, was detected in both the head and non-head trauma groups.