title: Comparison of the predictive power of socio-economic variables, severity of injury and age on long-term outcome of traumatic brain injury: sample-specific variables versus factors as predictors.
abstract: The primary objective of this study was to measure the predictive power of pre-injury socio-economic status (SES), severity of injury and age variables on the very long-term outcomes of traumatic brain injury (TBI). By applying a within-subjects retroactive follow-up design and a factor analysis, the study also compared the relative power of sample-specific predictors to that of more commonly used variables and conceptually based factors. Seventy-six participants with severe TBI were evaluated at an average of 14 years post-injury with an extensive neuropsychological battery. The results show that pre-injury SES variables predict long-term cognitive, psychiatric, vocational, and social/familial functioning. Measures of severity of injury predict daily functioning, while age at injury fails to predict any of these variables. Sample-specific predictors were more powerful than more commonly used predictors. Implications regarding long-term clinically based and conceptually based prediction, and those regarding comparisons of predictors across samples are further discussed.
authors.affiliation: The National Institute for the Rehabilitation of the Brain Injured & The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. mshoofi@mscc.huji.ac.il
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hoofien
authors.forename: Eli
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vakil
authors.forename: Assaf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gilboa
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Donovick
authors.forename: Ohr
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Barak
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D017668:Age of Onset; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices