Test-Retest Reliability of a Semi-Structured Interview to Aid in Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Diagnosis

Authors

Danielle C. Hergert, The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Veronik Sicard, The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
David D. Stephenson, The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Sharvani Pabbathi Reddy, The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Cidney R. Robertson-Benta, The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Andrew B. Dodd, The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Edward J. Bedrick, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
Gerard A. Gioia, Department of Pediatrics and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA.
Timothy B. Meier, Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
Nicholas A. Shaff, The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Davin K. Quinn, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Richard A. Campbell, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
John P. Phillips, The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Andrei A. Vakhtin, The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Robert E. Sapien, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Andrew R. Mayer, The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

8-1-2022

Journal

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS

Volume

28

Issue

7

DOI

10.1017/S1355617721000928

Keywords

Adolescent; Brain concussion; Pediatrics; Self-reports; Test–retest reliability; Traumatic brain injury

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Retrospective self-report is typically used for diagnosing previous pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). A new semi-structured interview instrument (New Mexico Assessment of Pediatric TBI; NewMAP TBI) investigated test-retest reliability for TBI characteristics in both the TBI that qualified for study inclusion and for lifetime history of TBI. METHOD: One-hundred and eight-four mTBI (aged 8-18), 156 matched healthy controls (HC), and their parents completed the NewMAP TBI within 11 days (subacute; SA) and 4 months (early chronic; EC) of injury, with a subset returning at 1 year (late chronic; LC). RESULTS: The test-retest reliability of common TBI characteristics [loss of consciousness (LOC), post-traumatic amnesia (PTA), retrograde amnesia, confusion/disorientation] and post-concussion symptoms (PCS) were examined across study visits. Aside from PTA, binary reporting (present/absent) for all TBI characteristics exhibited acceptable (≥0.60) test-retest reliability for both Qualifying and Remote TBIs across all three visits. In contrast, reliability for continuous data (exact duration) was generally unacceptable, with LOC and PCS meeting acceptable criteria at only half of the assessments. Transforming continuous self-report ratings into discrete categories based on injury severity resulted in acceptable reliability. Reliability was not strongly affected by the parent completing the NewMAP TBI. CONCLUSIONS: Categorical reporting of TBI characteristics in children and adolescents can aid clinicians in retrospectively obtaining reliable estimates of TBI severity up to a year post-injury. However, test-retest reliability is strongly impacted by the initial data distribution, selected statistical methods, and potentially by patient difficulty in distinguishing among conceptually similar medical concepts (i.e., PTA . confusion).

APA Citation

Hergert, Danielle C.; Sicard, Veronik; Stephenson, David D.; Pabbathi Reddy, Sharvani; Robertson-Benta, Cidney R.; Dodd, Andrew B.; Bedrick, Edward J.; Gioia, Gerard A.; Meier, Timothy B.; Shaff, Nicholas A.; Quinn, Davin K.; Campbell, Richard A.; Phillips, John P.; Vakhtin, Andrei A.; Sapien, Robert E.; and Mayer, Andrew R., "Test-Retest Reliability of a Semi-Structured Interview to Aid in Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Diagnosis" (2022). GW Authored Works. Paper 1552.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/1552

Department

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences