Assessment of mild brain trauma: A preliminary study of the influence of premorbid factors

Abstract

The present study compared differences in the premorbid factors between a group of mild brain-trauma patients and matched controls. The brain-injured patients employed were similar in age and gender to previous research samples, although their socioeconomic status was somewhat elevated. Higher rates of alcohol and drug use, and rates of prior head injury were found in the experimental subjects. No differences were found in premorbid psychological adjustment, pre-existing physical or somatic factors, cognitive functioning, nor in emotional and behavioral factors as measured by self - and significant-other rating on the Katz Adjustment Scales (KAS). The results indicate that in comparison with controls, mild brain-injured patients are distinguishable only on the basis of prior injury and drug and alcohol use. The implications of the study are discussed in terms of clinical management of mild brain-injured patients.