Article

Cognitive difficulties are frequently reported by Operation Enduring Freedom
/Operation Iraqi Freedom military personnel who sustained mild traumatic brain
injuries (TBIs). The current study examined several potential factors that may
contribute to self-reported cognitive difficulties in postdeployment clinical
settings. Eighty-four subjects who sustained a mild or moderate TBI and reported
cognitive difficulties underwent neurocognitive testing. Multiple regression
analyses were used to determine the amount of variance in neurocognitive
performance accounted for by the predictor variables (demographic, mechanism of
injury, time since injury, headache severity, combat stress, postconcussive
complaints, and effort/performance validity). The predictor variables
collectively accounted for 51.7% of the variance in cognitive performance (F
(8,72) = 11/99, p < 0.001). The most potent predictor of cognitive functioning
was performance validity/effort, which uniquely accounted for 16.3% of the
variance (p < 0.01). Self-reported symptom severity, including postconcussive
complaints, combat stress, and headache intensity, accounted for 7.2% of the
variance (p < 0.05). Demographic factors and injury characteristics, such as time
since injury and mechanism of injury, were not significant predictive factors of
cognitive performance. The findings of the current study underscore the need to
include measurement of effort as part of neurocognitive evaluation in
postdeployment settings when evaluating cognitive complaints associated with mild
TBI.

Langue : ANGLAIS