Use of the Personality Assessment Inventory with mild traumatic brain injury
Neuropsychological evaluations typically assess personality and emotional factors with objective personality assessment instruments. The MMPI has routinely been included for this purpose; however, its use with traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients has been controversial and of questionable utility. Spreen and Strauss (1998) and Cripe (1997; 1999) have suggested the use of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) as an alternative personality measure in neuropsychological evaluations. However, no empirical research has investigated the use of the PAI with a TBI population, which was the purpose of this study. Archival records from a Northwest US hospital were compared with a control group of college students from a Seattle private university. Although it was intuitive that certain PAI subscales may be affected by brain injury, it was hypothesized that compared to a Non-TBI group (college students matched for education level), a TBI group would elevate various Clinical subscales, the Treatment scales, and the Interpersonal scales. In addition, it was hypothesized that TBI patients would produce valid PAI profiles compared to a Non-TBI group and that they would show more impairment on neuropsychological testing. Each hypothesis was supported through logistic regression with strong results. The results of a logistic regression analysis revealed that within the models used for analysis, Somatic Complaints-Conversion (SOM-C), Stress (STR), and Dominance (DOM) strongly and robustly predicted TBI. It was noted that individuals in the TBI group produced valid profiles, but tended to elevate the Negative Impression (NIM) scale, which also predicted TBI. This overall response pattern would suggest that individuals with TBI produced more elevated profiles on the majority of the subscales and scales under consideration compared to a Non-TBI group. The results suggested that elevated PAI subscales may be common for individuals with TBI history, which indicates cautious use of the PAI with TBI patients, a need for inquiry into a brain injury history with individuals being tested, and conservative profile interpretation when a history of TBI is present. Although the results argue against a straightforward interpretive strategy for the PAI in neuropsychological evaluations, the data show that the PAI is useful in the evaluation of TBI patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)
https://www.upress.umn.edu/test-division/bibliography/2000-2009/2005/cross_use_2005
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Mark E Cross
(2005)
Use of the Personality Assessment Inventory with mild traumatic brain injury
PhD thesis.