Sex Differences in Emotional Status of Traumatically Brain-Injured Patients

Abstract

At an average post-trauma time of more than 2 years, male but not female head-trauma patients demonstrated significant emotional disturbance. A distress syndrome characterized by impulsivity, depression, anxiety, and a report of unusual experiences was suggested by Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) data. Although residual neurological sequelae contributed to some portion of the scale elevations, the feature that appeared to distinguish the present male head-trauma patient from other neurological groups described in the literature was the MMPI psychopathic deviate (Pd) scale elevation, suggesting significantly greater impulsivity in the current male head-trauma patients. Computed tomography scan data suggest that the Pd elevation was not related to frontal lobe damage. Premorbid emotional difficulties as well as a reaction to the head trauma itself, moderated by age and sex variables, may both contribute to the current suggestion of high impulsivity in these male patients.