title: Method of symptom assessment influences cognitive, affective and somatic post-concussion-like symptom base rates.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether assessment method influences the type of post-concussion-like symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 73 Australian undergraduate students (Mage = 24.14, SD = 8.84; 75.3% female) with no history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Participants reported symptoms experienced over the previous 2 weeks in response to an open-ended question (free report), mock interview and standardized checklist (British Columbia Post-concussion Symptom Inventory; BC-PSI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the free report and checklist conditions, cognitive symptoms were reported significantly less frequently than affective (free report: p < 0.001; checklist: p < 0.001) or somatic symptoms (free report: p < 0.001; checklist: p = 0.004). However, in the mock structured interview condition, cognitive and somatic symptoms were reported significantly less frequently than affective symptoms (both p < 0.001). No participants reported at least one symptom from all three domains when assessed by free report, whereas most participants did so when symptoms were assessed by a mock structured interview (75%) or checklist (90%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Previous studies have shown that the method used to assess symptoms affects the number reported. This study shows that the assessment method also affects the type of reported symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Neuropsychology Research Group, School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology , Brisbane , Australia and.
authors.forename: Shannon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Edmed
authors.forename: Karen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Sullivan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001315:Australia; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D057189:Checklist; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008306:Malingering / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010555:Personality Inventory; D038223:Post-Concussion Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012650:Self Disclosure; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D063189:Symptom Assessment
keywords: Assessment; TBI; diagnosis; head injury; symptom checklists