Awareness, emotional adjustment, and injury severity in postacute brain injury.
OBJECTIVE
Relationships among awareness of deficits, injury severity, and emotional adjustment in patients with traumatic brain injury were explored.


METHODS
One hundred sixty-six individuals were referred for postacute neurocognitive assessment.


METHODS
Retrospective file analysis identified injury severity, and data from the Patient Competency Rating Scale and Katz Adjustment Scale-Revised, utilizing self-ratings and significant others' ratings, were gathered.


RESULTS
Significant others described emotional adjustment difficulties, regardless of the severity of injury. A positive association was noted between patients' acknowledgment of neurobehavioral problems and ratings of their emotional adjustment.


CONCLUSIONS
Severity of TBI appeared less important than emotional adjustment in the awareness of deficit; mildly injured patients were more likely to report neurobehavioral deficits than were moderately and severely injured patients, relative to the reports of significant others.
Sawchyn
James M
JM
AT Malcolm and Associates, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. jsawchyn@island.net
Mateer
Catherine A
CA
Suffield
J Braxton
JB
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000647:Amnesia / Q000209:etiology; D001364:Awareness; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D015600:Glasgow Coma Scale; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016743:Mental Competency; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014474:Unconsciousness / Q000209:etiology