Predictors of Post-concussion Rehabilitation Outcomes at Three-month Follow-up

Objective: To determine factors related to three-month follow-up outcomes for individuals participating in an outpatient rehabilitative treatment program for mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). Method: Fifty participants underwent neuropsychological screening prior to treatment initiation and completed the Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory-4 (MPAI-4) at treatment initiation, discharge from treatment, and three months following discharge. Results: Regression models indicated that information garnered from the neuropsychological screening prior to treatment initiation (e.g., mood symptoms and prior psychiatric history) accounted for unique variance in three-month post-discharge outcomes on several MPAI-4 subscales. Specifically, after controlling for baseline MPAI-4 ratings, higher Beck Depression Inventory-second edition (BDI-II) scores were associated with worse MPAI-4 Ability scores at three-month follow-up, and the presence of a psychiatric history was associated with worse MPAI-4 Adjustment scores at three-month follow-up. Conclusions: Neuropsychological screening prior to the initiation of treatment for mild TBI can help to identify patients who may be at greater risk for poorer rehabilitation outcomes, thus allowing for the implementation of specific interventions to address these risk factors.