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

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 August 2021

Danielle C. Hergert Open the ORCID record for Danielle C. Hergert [Opens in a new window] ,
Veronik Sicard Open the ORCID record for Veronik Sicard [Opens in a new window] ,
David D. Stephenson ,
Sharvani Pabbathi Reddy ,
Cidney R. Robertson-Benta ,
Andrew B. Dodd ,
Edward J. Bedrick ,
Gerard A. Gioia ,
Timothy B. Meier  and
Nicholas A. Shaff
...Show all authors
Danielle C. Hergert
Affiliation:
The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Veronik Sicard
Affiliation:
The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA
David D. Stephenson
Affiliation:
The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Sharvani Pabbathi Reddy
Affiliation:
The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Cidney R. Robertson-Benta
Affiliation:
The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Andrew B. Dodd
Affiliation:
The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Edward J. Bedrick
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
Gerard A. Gioia
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
Timothy B. Meier
Affiliation:
Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
Nicholas A. Shaff
Affiliation:
The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Davin K. Quinn
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Richard A. Campbell
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
John P. Phillips
Affiliation:
The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA Department of Neurology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Andrei A. Vakhtin
Affiliation:
The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Robert E. Sapien
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Andrew R. Mayer*
Affiliation:
The Mind Research Network/Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, USA Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA Department of Neurology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Andrew R. Mayer, Mind Research Network, Pete and Nancy Domenici Hall, 1101 Yale Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM87106, USA. Email: amayer@mrn.org
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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 vs. confusion).

Keywords

PediatricsAdolescentTraumatic brain injuryBrain concussionSelf-reportsTest–retest reliability
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 28 , Issue 7 , August 2022 , pp. 687 - 699
Copyright
Copyright © INS. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2021

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