SUBJECTIVE COMPLAINTS VERSUS NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TEST-PERFORMANCE AFTER MODERATE TO SEVERE HEAD-INJURY

Neuropsychological test performance and subjective complaints of 85 pa tients with moderate to severe head injury were investigated at 6 mont hs postinjury. The neuropsychological test battery included 10 measure s of attention, memory, mental flexibility, reaction time, visuoconstr uction and verbal fluency. Subjective complaints were assessed using a self-report questionnaire subdivided into four subscales (somatic, co gnitive, emotional and behavioural). Ratings were obtained for the pre -injury and current status. Thirty-three trauma patients with injuries to other parts of the body than the head were used as controls. For t he head injured, relatives also completed the questionnaire. Head inju red patients performed significantly below trauma control patients on nearly all test measures. Head injured patients and their relatives re ported a significant increase in subjective complaints since the injur y on all four subscales, with no differences between patients' and rel atives' reports. These changes were also reported by the trauma contro ls, but they report fewer changes in somatic and cognitive functioning . Exploratory canonical correlation analyses revealed no correlations between any of the four scales of the questionnaire and the test measu res, nor for the head injured, the trauma controls, or the relatives, indicating no relevant relationship between subjective complaints and neuropsychological test performance.