Exploration of correlates of self-reported personality change after moderate-severe traumatic brain injury.

Objective: Individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) often express concern that their personality has changed. Factors generating that conclusion are rarely explored quantitatively. Accordingly, this study examines neurobehavioural correlates of self-reported personality change.

Methods: Seventy-one participants and informants were interviewed M = 57.9 (SD = 46.9) months after a moderate-severe TBI. The degree of self-reported personality change was correlated with scores on measures of general cognitive functioning, executive functioning, olfaction, social-emotional behaviour, emotional distress and the Expressed Emotion close informants directed towards them.

Results: As expected, self-reported personality change correlated with dysexecutive symptoms and depression. Although anosmia (a putative index of ventral frontal damage) correlated with reduced self-reported emotional recognition and empathy, against prediction, the latter measures did not correlate with self-reported personality change. Neither were the predicted positive correlations found between high Expressed Emotion (criticism and emotional over-involvement) and self-reported personality change.

Discussion: These findings are discussed in the context of previous work. A need to replicate and extend the present findings is suggested. A strategy to further clarify the relationships perceived personality change have with (a) self-reported change in specific behaviours and (b) identity change is advocated. Implications for intervention are suggested.