title: Financial capacity following traumatic brain injury: a six-month longitudinal study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To longitudinally investigate financial capacity (FC) following traumatic brain injury (TBI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal study comparing FC in cognitively healthy adults and persons with moderate to severe TBI at time of acute hospitalization (Time 1) and at 6 months postinjury (Time 2).
  
  
  METHODS
  Inpatient brain injury rehabilitation unit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty healthy adult controls and 24 adult persons with moderate to severe TBI.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were administered the Financial Capacity Instrument (FCI-9), a standardized instrument that measures performance on 18 financial tasks, 9 domains, and 2 global scores. Between- and within-group differences were examined for each FCI-9 domain and global scores. Using control group referenced cut scores, participants with TBI were also assigned an impairment rating (intact, marginal, or impaired) on each domain and global score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At Time 1, participants with TBI performed significantly below controls on the majority of financial variables tested. At Time 2, participants with TBI demonstrated within group improvement on both simple and complex financial domains, but continued to perform below adult controls on complex financial domains and both global scores. Group by time interactions were significant for four domains and both global scores. At Time 1, high percentages of participants with TBI were assigned either "marginal" or "impaired" ratings on the domains and global scores, with significant percentage increases of "intact" ratings at Time 2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Immediately following acute injury, persons with moderate to severe TBI show global impairment of FC. Findings indicate improvement of both simple and complex financial skills over a 6-month period, but continued impairment on more complex financial skills. Future studies should examine loss and recovery of FC following TBI over longer time periods and a wider range of injury severity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Laura E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Dreer
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Devivo
authors.forename: Thomas A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Novack
authors.forename: Daniel C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Marson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D055641:Mathematical Concepts; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult