Symptoms following mild head injury: expectation as aetiology.

Abstract

An affective, somatic, and memory checklist of symptoms was administered to subjects who had no personal experience or knowledge of head injury. Subjects indicated their current experiences of symptoms, then imagined having sustained a mild head injury in a motor vehicle accident, and endorsed symptoms they expected to experience six months after the injury. (SD) education, 14-6 (2 3) years], who were recruited by canvassing local businesses, apartment complexes, shopping centres, evening or weekend adult education classes, and a local community college. Twenty eight per cent were employed in professional and technical occupations, 34% held management, administration, clerical, or sales positions, 8% were craftsmen or foremen, 10% were employed as service workers, farmers, or operatives, 4% were labourers or farm foremen, and 16% were homemakers, students, or retirees. Predicted mean (SD) IQ for the group was 107-2 (6 8) as estimated from demographic variables.20 Subjects who reported a history of head injury or who knew a head injured individual well were excluded from the control group.The comparison group was made up of a sample of 100 patients with head injuries [mean (SD) age = 33.4, (13-1); mean (SD) education = 13-5, (3.1)]. The subjects were consecutive outpatient referrals for neuropsychological examination subsequent to head trauma. They were seen either at the outpatient clinic of a hospital neurology department, a university neuropsychology clinic, or the private offices of a neurologist. The group thus constitutes a sample of patients with postconcussion complaints or suspected complications rather than a random sample of individuals with head injuries. Fifteen per cent were employed in professional and technical occupations, 26% held management, administration, clerical, or sales positions, 20% were craftsmen or foremen, 17% were employed as service workers, farmers, or operatives, 1 % were labourers or farm foremen, and 21 % were homemakers, students, or retirees. Predicted IQ for the group was 103-2 (7-4) as estimated from demographic variables.20Sixty four of the patients had sustained closed head injuries in motor vehicle accidents, eight were struck by blunt objects, and 28 had sustained head trauma in falls. Patients were 200 on 12 May 2018 by guest. Protected by copyright.

Association between mild traumatic brain injury and mental health problems and self-reported cognitive dysfunction in Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans

“…This may not only heighten anxiety about TBI, but also make the path to appropriate treatment more convoluted, delaying recovery [38]. Whereas TBI with sustained postconcussive symptoms carries a poor prognosis and is challenging to treat, other causes of postinjury cognitive symptoms, such as mental health problems, may be remediable by using evidence-based psychotherapies, using medications, or conveying positive recovery expectations [40].…”

Subjective cognitive complaints and neuropsychological test performance following military-related traumatic brain injury

“…With increased awareness around the occurrence of concussion and TBI, there is also increased awareness around potential long-term effects. This may be especially pronounced in mTBI, where individuals may expect to have persistent problems even though they are showing a good recovery [51,56]. The DOD and VA have developed extensive screening and education programs around TBI for all servicemembers, but not without a potential cost around stigma, misattribution, or other negative effects [57][58].…”

“…It is well known that various clinical groups (e.g., psychiatric disorders, personal injury claimants, chronic pain, posttraumatic stress disorder, and soft-tissue injuries) [38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47] and even healthy adults [48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55] often report cognitive symptoms in the absence of brain injury. Finally, we cannot exclude the effects of expectancy.…”

The Effect of Varied Test Instructions on Neuropsychological Performance following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: An Investigation of “Diagnosis Threat”

“…4 Several studies have investigated other social psychological factors in this model (e.g., good-old-days bias; expectation as etiology), but DT is arguably not as well researched as some of these other factors. 5,6 DT may warrant further investigation because this factor is one that clinicians may be able to influence, unlike many of the other contributors to poor mTBI outcomes. [7][8][9][10] The term ''diagnosis threat'' was first published in a mTBI study more than 10 years ago.…”