Moderators, Mediators, and Nonspecific Predictors of Treatment Outcome in an Intervention for Everyday Task Improvement in Persons With Executive Deficits After Brain Injury.
OBJECTIVE
To identify moderators, mediators, and predictors of everyday task performance after an experimental combination of errorless learning and goal management training.


METHODS
Predictor analysis of a randomized controlled intervention trial.


METHODS
Outpatient rehabilitation centers.


METHODS
Patients (N=60) with acquired brain injury of nonprogressive nature with a minimal postonset time of 3 months.


METHODS
Participants were randomly allocated to 8 sessions of errorless or conventional goal management training.


METHODS
Everyday task performance, assessed at baseline and after treatment by evaluating correct, ineffective, and missing task steps.


RESULTS
Demographic variables, neuropsychological test performance, subjective cognitive function, and quality of life were selected as candidate predictors. The results showed that age (P=.03) and estimated intelligence quotient (IQ) (P=.02) emerged as moderators. Higher age was associated with better everyday task performance after conventional goal management training, whereas higher IQ was associated with better performance after errorless goal management training. Higher executive function scores after training predicted improved everyday task performance across the 2 treatment conditions (P=.04).


CONCLUSIONS
The identified predictors may contribute to a more tailored cognitive rehabilitation approach in which treatments and patients are better matched when clinicians decide to train everyday tasks.
Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: d.bertens@donders.ru.nl.
Dirk
D
Bertens
Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Rehabilitation Medical Centre Groot Klimmendaal, Arnhem, The Netherlands.
Luciano
L
Fasotti
Rehabilitation Medical Centre Groot Klimmendaal, Arnhem, The Netherlands; Department of Medical Psychology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Danielle H
DH
Boelen
Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Department of Medical Psychology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Vincent van Gogh Institute for Psychiatry, Venray, The Netherlands.
Roy P
RP
Kessels
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
Activities of daily living; Brain injuries; Rehabilitation