Method of symptom assessment influences cognitive, affective and somatic post-concussion-like symptom base rates

Abstract

Primary objective: To investigate whether assessment method influences the type of post-concussion-like symptoms.

Methods and procedures: Participants were 73 Australian undergraduate students (M_age = 24.14, SD = 8.84; 75.3% female) with no history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Participants reported symptoms experienced over the previous 2 weeks in response to an open-ended question (free report), mock interview and standardized checklist (British Columbia Post-concussion Symptom Inventory; BC-PSI).

Main outcomes and results: In the free report and checklist conditions, cognitive symptoms were reported significantly less frequently than affective (free report: p < 0.001; checklist: p < 0.001) or somatic symptoms (free report: p < 0.001; checklist: p = 0.004). However, in the mock structured interview condition, cognitive and somatic symptoms were reported significantly less frequently than affective symptoms (both p < 0.001). No participants reported at least one symptom from all three domains when assessed by free report, whereas most participants did so when symptoms were assessed by a mock structured interview (75%) or checklist (90%).

Conclusions: Previous studies have shown that the method used to assess symptoms affects the number reported. This study shows that the assessment method also affects the type of reported symptoms.

• Assessment
• diagnosis
• head injury
• symptom checklists
• TBI

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge Jim Oxtoby for his assistance with statistical analyses. The Human Research Ethics Committee of Queensland University of Technology (QUT-HREC #1000000311) approved this research. This project was granted an occupational workplace health and safety clearance.