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Effects of Screening for Postconcussion Syndrome (PCS) on PCS Symptom Self-Report and Neuropsychological Test Performance

Cook, Carolyn M.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1429196305

Abstract Details

2015, Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, Clinical Psychology (Arts and Sciences).
The incidence of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) in the United States has been estimated at approximately 1.12 million cases each year, making it a significant public health problem (Iverson & Lange, 2011a). For most individuals, symptoms of MTBI resolve within about three months, but for some, symptoms seem to persist. When individuals who have had an MTBI report persistent symptoms, such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, irritability, and difficulty concentrating, at rates higher than that expected for typical recovery of MTBI, they may be said to have “Postconcussive Syndrome” (PCS). Factors related to PCS symptom report include nonspecificity of symptoms, depression, anxiety, litigation, and response expectancies. Depression, anxiety, litigation, and response expectancies may also be related to poor performance on behavioral measures. The use of screening instruments to detect potential MTBI may also contribute to persistence of symptoms and their behavioral performance by impacting individuals’ beliefs about whether or not they have a disorder. The present study examined the impact of false positive feedback on a PCS screening instrument on PCS symptom self-report and neuropsychological test performance in 152 young adults with no history of MTBI who were randomly assigned to a positive feedback, negative feedback, or neutral condition. All participants completed two tasks measuring attention and working memory as well as self-report questionnaires assessing PCS symptoms, affect, and personality traits. Contrary to expectations, participants in the positive feedback condition did not endorse more total PCS symptoms than participants in the other two conditions. However, participants in the neutral condition endorsed fewer infrequency items than participants in either the positive or negative conditions, suggesting that receipt of inaccurate feedback of any type led to endorsement of invalid symptoms. In addition, participants in the positive feedback condition demonstrated poorer performance on the AVLT learning and delayed recall trials than participants in the negative feedback condition, and participants in the neutral condition performed worse on the AVLT learning trials and PASAT total score than participants in the negative feedback condition. These results suggest that feedback from screening measures, if not accompanied by appropriate follow-up, can influence individuals’ self- reported PCS symptoms as well as their performance on cognitive measures. Overall, the findings have implications for the use of screening measures for PCS in clinical and research settings.
Julie Suhr, Ph.D. (Advisor)
67 p.
Clinical Psychology
PCS; screening

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Cook, C. M. (2015). Effects of Screening for Postconcussion Syndrome (PCS) on PCS Symptom Self-Report and Neuropsychological Test Performance [Master's thesis, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1429196305

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Cook, Carolyn. Effects of Screening for Postconcussion Syndrome (PCS) on PCS Symptom Self-Report and Neuropsychological Test Performance. 2015. Ohio University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1429196305.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Cook, Carolyn. "Effects of Screening for Postconcussion Syndrome (PCS) on PCS Symptom Self-Report and Neuropsychological Test Performance." Master's thesis, Ohio University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1429196305

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.