Sensitivity of three recent questionnaires to mild traumatic brain injury-related effects.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the sensitivity of three recently developed questionnaires to mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI)-related effects.


METHODS
Comparison of an MTBI group, within 3 weeks of injury, to a normal control group.


METHODS
Outpatient rehabilitation clinic.


METHODS
120 MTBI patients and 120 age, education, sex, and preinjury socioeconomic status-matched normal control subjects.


METHODS
The Problem Checklist (PCL) from the New York Head Injury Family Interview to assess MTBI symptoms, the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36) to assess functional burden associated with health problems, and the Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ) to assess home, social, and productive activities.


RESULTS
Patients' self-ratings on the PCL and SF-36, but not the CIQ, were generally worse than those of the normal controls. The largest differences were obtained on SF-36 measures that appear to assess musculoskeletal injury effects.


CONCLUSIONS
The PCL and SF-36 show promise as sensitive measures of MTBI-related effects. The SF-36 may be particularly useful in evaluating associated musculoskeletal injuries, which might otherwise be overlooked by MTBI health care providers.
Paniak
C
C
Department of Psychology, Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Phillips
K
K
Toller-Lobe
G
G
Durand
A
A
Nagy
J
J
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000592:standards*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012917:Social Adjustment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*