Behavioral limitations TBI patients tend to underestimate: A replication and extension to patients with lateralized cerebral dysfunction

Patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), as well as patients with lateralized cerebral dysfunction, completed the Patient Competency Rating Scale (PCRS) along with a neuropsychological control group. Relatives or significant others for each patient also rated the patient's abilities on the PCRS. A previous finding that TBT patients overestimate social interaction and emotional control skills was replicated. Patients with right versus left hemisphere lesions also tended to show this same pattern, while the neuropsychological control group did not. Brain dysfunction may increase the tendency to overstate certain behavioral characteristics irrespective of the location of the lesion. Nonneurological factors, however, may also contribute to this phenomenon. In this regard, it may be useful to distinguish between impaired self-awareness versus denial of disability after brain injury.