title: The good-old-days bias and post-concussion syndrome symptom reporting in a non-clinical sample.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the good-old-days bias, a psychosocial factor associated with post-concussion syndrome (PCS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Repeated measures comparison of PCS symptoms reported 6 months prior (retrospectively) and currently. A non-clinical sample was used to determine if this bias is a general recall bias.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-seven university students with no history of brain injury or neurological disease completed the British Columbia Post-concussion Symptom Inventory. Symptoms were reported on two occasions, spaced 1 week apart, commencing with current symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using PCS symptom frequency by severity product scores, there was no significant difference in the 13 PCS symptoms reported across occasions, nor the relevant summary score (p = 0.199). These data do not support the presence of a general recall bias. However, significant differences emerged when analysed using a simple count of the total number of endorsed symptoms (p = 0.002, d = 0.39, small-to-medium effect) or the sample percentage that endorsed each symptom (four symptoms were endorsed by fewer participants retrospectively than currently).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is only weak evidence of a general recall bias in this non-clinical sample. Further consideration of the methods used to study this bias and its role clinically is needed.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Neuropsychology Research Group, School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Queensland, Australia. karen.sullivan@qut.edu.au
authors.forename: Karen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Shannon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Edmed
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015982:Bias; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D038223:Post-Concussion Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011793:Queensland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D055815:Young Adult