title: Exploration of correlates of self-reported personality change after moderate-severe traumatic brain injury.
abstract: Individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) often express concern that their personality has changed. Factors generating that conclusion are rarely explored quantitatively. Accordingly, this study examines neurobehavioural correlates of self-reported personality change.
  
  
  
  Seventy-one participants and informants were interviewed M = 57.9 (SD = 46.9) months after a moderate-severe TBI. The degree of self-reported personality change was correlated with scores on measures of general cognitive functioning, executive functioning, olfaction, social-emotional behaviour, emotional distress and the Expressed Emotion close informants directed towards them.
  
  
  
  As expected, self-reported personality change correlated with dysexecutive symptoms and depression. Although anosmia (a putative index of ventral frontal damage) correlated with reduced self-reported emotional recognition and empathy, against prediction, the latter measures did not correlate with self-reported personality change. Neither were the predicted positive correlations found between high Expressed Emotion (criticism and emotional over-involvement) and self-reported personality change.
  
  
  
  These findings are discussed in the context of previous work. A need to replicate and extend the present findings is suggested. A strategy to further clarify the relationships perceived personality change have with (a) self-reported change in specific behaviours and (b) identity change is advocated. Implications for intervention are suggested.
authors.affiliation: a Neuropsychology Department , Morriston Hospital , Swansea , UK.|b Brain Injury Research Group , Swansea University , Swansea , UK.
authors.forename: Rodger A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Weddell
authors.affiliation: b Brain Injury Research Group , Swansea University , Swansea , UK.
authors.forename: Rodger L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Wood
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D000070642:Brain Injuries, Traumatic / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012044:Regression Analysis; D057566:Self Report; D012919:Social Behavior; D013997:Time Factors; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Emotion recognition; depression; empathy; executive functioning; frontal lobe