Keywords

acquired brain injury, emotional status, executive function, metacognitive skills, psychosocial outcome

 

Authors

  1. Ownsworth, Tamara PhD
  2. Fleming, Jennifer PhD

Abstract

Objectives: To examine the interrelationships between metacognitive skills and measures of emotional status and executive function following acquired brain injury (ABI), and examine their relative importance to psychosocial outcomes.

 

Design: A cross-sectional multicentre study employing correlational and multiple regression analyses.

 

Participants: Sixty-seven adults with ABI living in the community, on average 4.4 years (SD = 4.7) postinjury.

 

Measures: Sydney Psychosocial Reintegration Scale, Self-Awareness of Deficits Interview, Self-Regulation Skills Interview, Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale, Beck Hopelessness Scale, and standardized measures of executive function.

 

Results: Metacognitive skills correlated with level of hopelessness and executive measures of idea generation and error self-regulation. The best predictor of psychosocial outcome was depressive symptoms, with specific outcomes additionally related to error self-regulation and intellectual awareness.

 

Conclusions: The findings highlight the need to evaluate interventions targeting depression and metacognitive skills to improve psychosocial outcomes.