Factors that Affect Self-Reporting among TBI Patients: Study

Dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be a life-changing event. Statistics show that as many as 1.7 million will experience a TBI due to an isolated injury or along with other injuries annually in the United States, alone.

For many in recovery, they've discovered that depression and self-awareness may affect memory reports as well as satisfaction of overall quality of life.

To further study this, researchers examined the complex relationship between self-awareness and depression, while also studying the self-reporting of overall well-being and quality of life ( QoL) through individuals with TBI. They examined 30 community-based adults who had suffered TBIs of at least one-year duration. For the study, various testing included Awareness Questionnaire, Health Status Questionnaire (SF-12), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Memory Functioning Questionnaire (MFQ), and the Chicago Multiscale Depression Inventory (CMDI).

 "Our findings help answer the question: What abilities must be considered when interpreting responses on a self-report questionnaire?" said Nancy Chiaravolloti, Ph.D., director of TBI Research at Kessler Foundation, and project director, Northern NJ TBI System, via a press release. "These results showed first that higher levels of self-awareness are associated with poorer QoL, reports of poor memory performance and better strategy use; and also that symptoms of depression are significantly associated with self-reports of QoL and Satisfaction with life (greater depression associated with lower QoL and lower satisfaction)," Dr. Chiaravalloti added, via the release. "Because of this impact of depressive symptoms, it is very important to diagnose and treat depression in rehabilitation and develop comprehensive treatment plans for individuals with TBI."

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More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Brain Injury.