Data-Driven Profiles of Psychopathology After Moderate-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.

OBJECTIVE

To identify data-driven profiles of psychopathology among adults with moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) using a transdiagnostic assessment battery, and to exploratorily examine demographic, injury-related, and clinical correlates of profile membership.

SETTING

Community survey.

PARTICIPANTS

Participants (513 enrolled, 397 analyzed) were sampled from a larger cohort previously admitted consecutively for inpatient rehabilitation. They took part in this study on average 12.63 years postinjury (range 0.40-35.42).

DESIGN

Observational, cross-sectional.

MAIN MEASURES: A comprehensive battery of psychiatric questionnaires, including the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms-Expanded Version, Somatic Symptom Scale-8, Comprehensive Assessment of Traits Relevant to Personality Disorders, and Externalizing Spectrum Inventory-Brief Form. This battery was previously validated in the same sample to assess 7 transdiagnostic dimensions of psychopathology: 4 internalizing (Detachment, Dysregulated Negative Emotionality, Somatic Symptoms, Compensatory, and Phobic Reactions) and 3 externalizing (Self-Harm and Psychoticism, Rigid Constraint, Harmful Substance Use).

RESULTS

Latent profile analysis identified 5 profiles: Average Internalizing (29% of participants most resembled this profile), Lower Psychopathology (25%), Elevated Internalizing (21%), Substance Use (16%), and Elevated Psychopathology (10%). In exploratory multivariable analyses, younger age, greater self-reported functional disability, lower life satisfaction, and mental health treatment were consistently associated with more severe psychopathology profiles. Male sex and unemployment were consistently associated with the Substance Use profile. Education, Glasgow Coma Scale scores, post-traumatic amnesia duration, and comorbid orthopedic injuries showed no significant associations with psychopathology profiles.

CONCLUSIONS

A data-driven categorical approach identified psychopathology profiles following moderate-severe TBI that differed primarily in overall severity. Profiles reflecting greater psychopathology were associated with poorer functioning and subjective well-being, providing some validation. However, clinically relevant variation in post-TBI psychopathology may not readily reduce to a small number of qualitatively discrete categories.