Attentional Profiles of Patients with Closed-Head Injury

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to examine the attentional profiles of patients with closed-head injury (CHI). A multicomponential perspective of attention was adopted, including intensity aspect of attention (sustained attention), selective aspect of attention (selective attention and divided attention), and attentional control processing. It was hypothesized that subtypes of patients with CHI may be identified according to different combinations of the deficits in these attentional components in both the laboratory and functional measures. Method: The sample consisted of 92 patients with CHI with a mean age and education of 37.63 (SD = 9.62) and 9.39 years (SD = 3.38) respectively. The sample comprised of 71.7% males. All participants received comprehensive measures of attention tapping sustained attention (Sustained Attention Response to Task, Backward Digit Span), selective attention (Stroop Test, Color Trails Test), divided attention (Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test, Symbol Digit Modalities Test), and attentional control (Tower of Hanoi, Six Elements Test). A 2-stage cluster analysis was conducted. Ecological measures of attention were used to validate the cluster solution. These included the Test of Everyday Attention, Cognitive Failures Questionnaire and Dysexecutive Questionnaire. Results: The findings indicated that there were 3 subgroups of patients with different combinations of attentional deficits, namely ‘mild deficits in intensity of attention,’ ‘deficits in selectivity of attention,’ and ‘general deficits in attention.’ MANOVA also indicated that these three clusters were statistically and clinically different from one another in terms of different attentional components proposed. These findings underscore the importance of clinical intervention for patients with different combinations of attentional deficits.