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OBJECTIVE: The long-term consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on brain structure remain uncertain. Given evidence that a single significant brain injury event increases the risk of dementia, brain-age estimation could provide a novel and efficient indexing of the long-term consequences of TBI. Brain-age procedures use predictive modeling to calculate brain-age scores for an individual using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. Complicated mild, moderate, and severe TBI (cmsTBI) is associated with a higher predicted age difference (PAD), but the progression of PAD over time remains unclear. We sought to examine whether PAD increases as a function of time since injury (TSI) and if injury severity and sex interacted to influence this progression. METHODS: Through the ENIGMA Adult Moderate and Severe (AMS)-TBI working group, we examine the largest TBI sample to date (n = 343), along with controls, for a total sample size of n = 540, to replicate and extend prior findings in the study of TBI brain age. Cross-sectional T1w-MRI data were aggregated across 7 cohorts, and brain age was established using a similar brain age algorithm to prior work in TBI. RESULTS: Findings show that PAD widens with longer TSI, and there was evidence for differences between sexes in PAD, with men showing more advanced brain age. We did not find strong evidence supporting a link between PAD and cognitive performance. INTERPRETATION: This work provides evidence that changes in brain structure after cmsTBI are dynamic, with an initial period of change, followed by relative stability in brain morphometry, eventually leading to further changes in the decades after a single cmsTBI. ANN NEUROL 2024;96:365-377.
Subject(s)
Brain Injuries, Traumatic , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Humans , Brain Injuries, Traumatic/diagnostic imaging , Brain Injuries, Traumatic/pathology , Brain Injuries, Traumatic/complications , Male , Female , Adult , Middle Aged , Cohort Studies , Brain/diagnostic imaging , Brain/pathology , Aged , Aging/pathology , Aging, Premature/diagnostic imaging , Aging, Premature/pathologyABSTRACT
IMPORTANCE: This study provides information to clinicians about how persons with MS coped in both positive and negative ways during a potentially traumatic experience (the coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19] pandemic), which will help clinicians to provide better services to this population in the face of stressful events. OBJECTIVE: To describe both positive and negative outcomes among persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) and to examine whether resilience and social support were related to positive and negative outcomes during the peak of the pandemic. DESIGN: An online survey administered during the COVID-19 pandemic. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 74 individuals with MS and 104 healthy controls (HCs) recruited through social media and community support groups. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The survey included questionnaires that assessed both positive and negative responses to the pandemic, including benefit finding, loneliness, and distress. Resilience and social support were also assessed. RESULTS: Differences were noted between persons with MS and HCs on negative but not positive outcomes. Better social support and resilience were related to positive outcomes. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Both persons with MS and HCs were similar in benefit finding and stress management. However, negative outcomes were worse in the MS group. Our findings shed light on the importance of individuals with MS adopting a positive outlook to help during times of adversity. What This Article Adds: Among persons with disabilities such as multiple sclerosis, finding benefits during stressful times can be a potential coping mechanism. Furthermore, resilience and social support should be taken into account to moderate the effects of adverse events.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Multiple Sclerosis , Humans , Pandemics , Social Support , Adaptation, PsychologicalABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The study of job interview training is an emerging area among transition-age autistic youth who face significant challenges when navigating job interviews. The autism field has limited measures that have undergone rigorous psychometric evaluation. OBJECTIVE: We sought to evaluate the psychometric properties of adapted self-report measures assessing job interview skills and job interview anxiety. METHODS: As part of two parent randomized controlled trials, eighty-five transition-age autistic youth completed measures related to the strength of their job interview skills and their level of job interview anxiety. We conducted classical test theory analyses, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and Rasch model analytic and calibration analyses. Pearson correlations were used to establish concurrent, divergent, and criterion validity by correlating these scales with measures of social differences, depressive symptoms, behaviors, neuropsychological functioning, and work history. RESULTS: Our analyses yielded two brief and reliable scales: Measure of Job Interview Skills (MOJO-iSkills) and Measure of Job Interview Anxiety (MOJO-iAnxiety), which demonstrated initial concurrent, divergent, and criterion validities when correlated with measures of depressive symptoms, social differences, internalizing and externalizing behavior, and work history. CONCLUSIONS: This study presents initial evidence that MOJO-iSkills and MOJO-iAnxiety have acceptable psychometric properties supporting they can be used to reliably and validly assess job interview skills and interview anxiety.
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OBJECTIVE: The current study examined health care disruptions and use of telehealth services among people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: General community. PARTICIPANTS: Participants (N=163) included 70 pwMS and 93 healthy controls (HCs). The majority of respondents were from the United States (88%). INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rates of health care disruptions (eg, missing/canceling appointments, experiencing delays) and telehealth use for MS and non-MS medical care and mental health care. RESULTS: In this U.S. majority, predominantly White, and high socioeconomic status sample, 38% to 50% of pwMS reported experiencing disruptions in their MS and non-MS medical care and 20% to 33% reported disruptions in their mental health care; this was significantly lower than the rates observed among HCs. Compared with HCs, pwMS were more likely to use telehealth than in-person services, especially for mental health care. The majority of pwMS and HCs reported being satisfied with telehealth services. Individuals with higher degrees of functional limitation experienced more health care disruptions and were more likely to use telehealth services than individuals with lower degrees of functional limitation. CONCLUSIONS: Despite high health care disruption rates, pwMS frequently used and were highly satisfied with telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to physical limitations commonly observed in the MS population that may preclude travel, telehealth services should be continued even after resolution of the pandemic to expand access and reduce health care disparities.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Multiple Sclerosis , Telemedicine , COVID-19/epidemiology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Healthcare Disparities , Humans , Pandemics , United StatesABSTRACT
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: This study examined (a) the impact of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on engagement in activity participation in persons with acquired brain injury (ABI); and (b) whether changes in activity participation during the pandemic were associated participants' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). RESEARCH DESIGN: Exploratory online survey study. METHODS: Eighty-seven respondents with ABI and 98 healthy adults (HA) participated in this study. Engagement in activity participation during COVID-19 was calculated as a percentage of the activities participants performed before the pandemic. MAIN RESULTS: Participants with ABI modified their activities less than HA in order to maintain level of engagement in activity participation. They stopped performing more activities during the pandemic compared to HA and compared to their pre-pandemic engagement. Both groups continued to do similar percentage of activities without modifications compared to before the pandemic. Better HRQoL in both groups was predicted by a larger percentage of activities continued and fewer activities stopped. CONCLUSION: Results emphasize the importance of addressing activity participation changes during situations where there are disruptions of the individual's habits and routines in order to minimize negative consequences of such changes.
Subject(s)
Brain Injuries , COVID-19 , Activities of Daily Living , Adult , COVID-19/epidemiology , Humans , Pandemics , Quality of Life , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
Impairments in cognitive processing related to social understanding and communication (i.e., "social cognition") are well documented after moderate or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and can contribute to negative functional outcome. Depression is also a common feature of TBI with detrimental functional consequences. We evaluated relationships between social cognition, depression symptom severity, and functional status in individuals with chronic TBI (>1 year post injury; n = 25) and healthy controls (n = 30) using objective tests of social cognition as well as self-reported depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II) and functional status (Functional Behavior Profile). Results revealed significant relationships between depression and functional status across the sample, and relationships between social cognition and functional status specific to TBI. In the TBI group only, social cognition significantly predicted both overall and social functional status above and beyond depression. Group differences in functional status were independently mediated by social cognition and, especially, depression. Our findings suggest that social cognitive impairments and depression are distinct, functionally relevant TBI sequelae. Interventions to improve social functioning in this population may be most effective when contextualized within treatments for emotional disturbances.
Subject(s)
Brain Injuries, Traumatic , Cognitive Dysfunction , Brain Injuries, Traumatic/complications , Cognition , Cognitive Dysfunction/etiology , Depression/etiology , Functional Status , Humans , Neuropsychological Tests , Social CognitionABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) can have difficulty on tasks requiring social cognition, including Theory of Mind (ToM) and facial affect recognition. However, most research on social cognition in MS has focused on Relapsing-Remitting MS; less is known about deficits in individuals with progressive MS. This pilot study examined the social cognitive abilities of individuals with progressive MS on a dynamic social cognition task: The Awareness of Social Inference Test - Short Form (TASIT-S). METHODS: Fifteen individuals with progressive MS and 17 healthy controls performed TASIT-S, which includes 3 subtests assessing facial affect recognition and ToM. RESULTS: The MS group was impaired on all subtests of TASIT-S, including Emotion Evaluation, Social Inference - Minimal, and Social Inference - Enriched, which examine facial affect recognition and ToM. Deficits on TASIT-S were significantly correlated with several cognitive abilities including working memory, learning memory, and verbal IQ. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest individuals with progressive MS were impaired across multiple social cognition domains as assessed by the TASIT-S. Furthermore, social cognitive abilities were related to cognitive abilities such as visuospatial memory and executive abilities. Results are discussed in terms of social cognition deficits in MS and how they relate to cognitive abilities.
Subject(s)
Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive/psychology , Social Cognition , Adult , Case-Control Studies , Emotions , Facial Recognition , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Neuropsychological Tests , Pilot Projects , Theory of MindABSTRACT
Our objective was to determine differences in brain activation during a processing-speed task in individuals with SCI compared to a group of age-matched healthy controls and to a group of older healthy controls. Ten individuals with cervical SCI (C3-C5), 10 age-matched healthy controls and 10 older healthy controls participated in a cross-sectional study in which performance on neuropsychological tests of processing speed and brain activation were the main outcome measures. The brain areas used by the individuals with SCI during the processing-speed task differed significantly from the age-matched healthy controls, but were similar to the older control cohort, and included activation in frontal, parietal and hippocampal areas. This suggests that individuals with SCI may compensate for processing-speed deficits by relying on brain regions that classically support control cognitive processes such as executive control and memory.
Subject(s)
Cognition , Spinal Cord Injuries , Cross-Sectional Studies , Humans , Neuropsychological Tests , Pilot ProjectsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To document the process by which metacognitive judgments ("online" monitoring of one's own cognitive performance during task completion) are made after traumatic brain injury (TBI). PARTICIPANTS: Sixteen community-dwelling adults with moderate to severe TBI and 16 matched healthy controls. DESIGN: Prospective, cross-sectional design. MEASURES: Metacognitive retrospective confidence judgments and reaction times were collected as participants performed a metamemory task. RESULTS: Adults with TBI did not differ from healthy peers in metacognitive accuracy; however, they took significantly longer to make retrospective confidence judgments. Retrospective confidence judgment reaction times were not consistently correlated to measures of processing speed in either sample. CONCLUSIONS: Adults with TBI engage in different postdecisional processes to make metacognitive judgments compared with healthy controls. Findings suggest that reaction times may be an important dimension of metacognition to assess clinically after TBI.
Subject(s)
Brain Injuries, Traumatic , Metacognition , Adult , Brain Injuries, Traumatic/diagnosis , Case-Control Studies , Cross-Sectional Studies , Humans , Judgment , Prospective Studies , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Social cognitive deficits are an important consequence of multiple sclerosis (MS), yet our understanding of how these deficits manifest in progressive MS is currently limited. To this end, we examined theory of mind (ToM) ability in a sample of individuals with progressive MS using an ecologically valid virtual assessment tool that allows for delineation of cognitive ToM (inferring thoughts and intentions of others) from affective ToM (inferring emotions of others). METHODS & RESULTS: We compared 15 individuals with progressive MS and 15 healthy controls on their ToM ability using the Virtual Assessment of Mentalising Ability. We found that, relative to healthy controls, participants with progressive MS were impaired in cognitive ToM, but not in affective ToM. Furthermore, we found that the MS participants' deficits in cognitive ToM were mediated by their general cognitive ability such that poor cognitive ToM ability in MS was explained by poor performance on tests of memory and processing speed. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that ToM deficits in progressive MS may be limited to cognitive ToM, while affective ToM is conserved. This could be attributable to the MS-related deficits in general cognitive ability, which appear to negatively affect only the cognitive component of ToM.
Subject(s)
Cognitive Dysfunction/physiopathology , Mentalization/physiology , Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive/physiopathology , Social Perception , Theory of Mind/physiology , Adult , Cognitive Dysfunction/etiology , Emotions/physiology , Female , Humans , Intention , Male , Middle Aged , Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive/complications , Thinking/physiologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) can experience social isolation, which is damaging to well-being and counterproductive to successful rehabilitation. It has been proposed that social cognitive deficits that commonly result from TBI may contribute to weakened social integration. However, the consequences of specific social cognitive deficits in TBI are still being delineated. The current work sought to better characterize the relationship between community integration and facial affect recognition (FAR) in TBI. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: A total of 27 participants with moderate to severe TBI and 30 healthy controls (HCs) completed two tests of FAR, which employed either static photographic stimuli or dynamic video stimuli (The Awareness of Social Inference Test). The Community Integration Questionnaire was also administered to participants. RESULTS: Participants with TBI were significantly impaired on both the static and dynamic FAR measures, yet the deficits were most pronounced within the dynamic task. Furthermore, participants with TBI reported lower community integration compared with HCs. FAR was positively associated with community integration in both groups, such that participants with proficient affect recognition skills were better integrated into their communities. CONCLUSIONS: FAR deficits may contribute to the lack of community integration often observed in TBI; thus, interventions designed to improve FAR may be beneficial to this population's ability to successfully reintegrate into society.
Subject(s)
Affect/physiology , Brain Injuries, Traumatic/physiopathology , Community Integration , Facial Expression , Facial Recognition/physiology , Recognition, Psychology/physiology , Social Perception , Adult , Brain Injuries, Traumatic/complications , Female , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The fronto-striatal network has been implicated in both fatigue, a common multiple sclerosis (MS) symptom, and goal attainment, which has been shown to reduce fatigue in healthy individuals. OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether stimulation of the fronto-striatal network through goal attainment (potential monetary gain) leads to fatigue reduction in MS and healthy control (HC) participants. METHODS: In all, 14 healthy and 19 MS participants performed a gambling task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants were presented with an opportunity to receive monetary reward during the outcome condition of the task but not during the no outcome condition. Self-reported fatigue measures were obtained after each condition and outside of the scanner. Structural alterations were also examined. RESULTS: A significant decrease in fatigue was observed after the outcome condition compared to the no outcome condition in both groups. Significantly greater activation was observed in the ventral striatum in association with the outcome condition compared to the no outcome condition in both groups. Ventromedial prefrontal cortex showed significantly greater activation during the no outcome condition compared to the outcome condition with greater difference between conditions in the HC group. CONCLUSION: This is the first functional neuroimaging study showing that stimulation of the fronto-striatal network through goal attainment leads to decreased on-task fatigue in MS and healthy participants.
Subject(s)
Brain/physiology , Fatigue/etiology , Fatigue/physiopathology , Motivation/physiology , Multiple Sclerosis/complications , Multiple Sclerosis/physiopathology , Adult , Female , Functional Neuroimaging , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Middle Aged , Neural Pathways/physiopathology , RewardABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Information processing speed (IPS) is a prevalent cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS). OBJECTIVES: This review aims to summarize the methods applied to assess IPS in MS and its theoretical conceptualization. A PubMed search was performed to select articles published between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2013, resulting in 157 articles included. RESULTS: The majority (54%) of studies assessed IPS with heterogeneous samples (several disease courses). Studies often report controlling for presence of other neurological disorders (60.5%), age (58.6%), education (51.6%), alcohol history (47.8%), or use of steroids (39.5%). Potential confounding variables, such as recent relapses (50.3%), history of developmental disorders (19.1%), and visual problems (29.9%), were often neglected. Assessments used to study IPS were heterogeneous (ranging from simple to complex tasks) among the studies under review, with 62 different tasks used. Only 9.6% of articles defined the construct of IPS and 22.3% discussed IPS in relation to a theoretical model. FUTURE DIRECTIONS: The challenges for the upcoming decade include clarification of the definition of IPS as well as its theoretical conceptualization and a consensus on assessment. Based on the results obtained, we propose a new theoretical model, the tri-factor model of IPS.
Subject(s)
Cognitive Dysfunction/physiopathology , Mental Processes/physiology , Multiple Sclerosis/physiopathology , Cognitive Dysfunction/etiology , Humans , Multiple Sclerosis/complicationsABSTRACT
It has recently been reported that individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) are impaired on tasks requiring emotional processing and social cognition, including tasks of Theory of Mind (ToM) and facial affect recognition. The current pilot study examined the ability of individuals with MS to understand and interpret lies and sarcasm using a dynamic task: The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT). Fifteen individuals with MS and 15 healthy controls (HCs) performed the Social Inference-Enriched subtest of the TASIT, in which they viewed video-taped social interactions in which lies and sarcasm are presented. Additionally, tests of cognition were also administered to better understand the relationship between specific cognitive abilities and the ability to understand lies and sarcasm. The MS group showed impairments in the ability to interpret and understand lies and sarcasm relative to HCs. These impairments were correlated with several cognitive abilities including processing speed, working memory, learning and memory, and premorbid IQ. The results indicate that the TASIT is a sensitive measure of social cognition in individuals with MS. Furthermore, performance on the TASIT was related to cognitive abilities. Results are discussed in terms of social cognition deficits in MS and how they relate to cognitive abilities. (JINS, 2016, 22, 83-88).
Subject(s)
Cognition Disorders/diagnosis , Cognition Disorders/etiology , Multiple Sclerosis/complications , Multiple Sclerosis/psychology , Social Behavior , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Neuropsychological Tests , Pilot Projects , Psychometrics , Reproducibility of Results , Severity of Illness Index , Statistics as Topic , Statistics, NonparametricABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: As measurements of subjective fatigue after traumatic brain injury (TBI) rely on self-assessment, deficits in self-awareness after TBI may distort subjective fatigue reports. This study investigates awareness of subjective fatigue after TBI using self- and informant reports. PARTICIPANTS: Fourteen adults with moderate to severe TBI and 7 healthy controls (HCs). MEASURES: Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) and battery of cognitive and emotional tests. Informants completed an "other-report," rating their perception of participant's fatigue. Subjective fatigue awareness was defined as discrepancy between self- and other-MFIS scores. RESULTS: Adults with TBI showed greater discrepancies between self- and other-MFIS scores than did HCs. Negative relations were found between fatigue awareness and symptoms of depression, but there were no relationships between fatigue awareness and cognitive performance. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that adults with TBI have poorer awareness of subjective fatigue than HCs. Correlations between subjective fatigue awareness and depression support existing literature implicating strong emotional components in the experience of subjective fatigue postinjury. Findings suggest cautious interpretation of subjective fatigue, as responses may not reflect fatigue symptoms exclusively.
Subject(s)
Awareness , Brain Injuries/physiopathology , Fatigue/diagnosis , Adult , Case-Control Studies , Emotions , Fatigue/etiology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Psychological Tests , Self-AssessmentABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The job interview can be challenging for autistic adolescents considering the required social communication skills. Further, having decreased awareness of personal strengths may make it difficult to advocate for oneself to a future employer. The purpose of the current pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) is to examine the preliminary efficacy and feasibility of a combined interventional approach using: the Virtual Interview Tool for Autistic Transition-Age Youth (VIT-TAY) and Kessler Foundation Strength Identification and Expression (KF-STRIDE). METHOD: Twenty autistic transition-age youth (TAY) were randomly assigned to two groups: an intervention group (n = 10) that received 9 h of VIT-TAY (interviewing practice with a virtual human), and three lessons of KF-STRIDE (positive psychology intervention to learn and discuss one's personal character strengths) and a services-as-usual (SAU) group (n = 10). The primary outcome was measured using a video-recorded mock job interview performed at pre- and post-test, which was rated by blinded assessors. Secondary outcomes included self-reports of job interview skill, interview anxiety, work readiness and recent job search behavior. RESULTS: Paired samples t-tests revealed significant differences between pre- and post-test in the intervention group (but not the control group) on the mock interview total score (p = 0.02, d = 0.76) and self-reported job interview skills total score (p = 0.02, d = 0.75). The intervention group (but not the control group) had improvements in work-readiness (p = 0.06, d = 0.53) and job search behavior (p = 0.07, d = 0.52) that were characterized by medium effect sizes. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study suggests that combining VIT-TAY with KF-STRIDE leads to improvements in performance-based and self-reported job interview skills.
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Recently, there has been renewed interest in the study of cognitive fatigue. It is known that fatigue is one of the most disabling symptoms in numerous neurological populations, including stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and traumatic brain injury. Behavioral studies of cognitive fatigue are hampered by lack of correlation of self-report measures with objective performance. Neuroimaging studies provide new insight about cognitive fatigue and its neural correlates.Impairment within the cortico-striatal network, involved in effortreward calculation, has been suggested to be critically related to fatigue. The current review surveys the recent neuroimaging literature, and suggests promising avenues for future research.
Subject(s)
Cerebral Cortex/physiopathology , Corpus Striatum/physiopathology , Fatigue/pathology , Neural Pathways/physiology , Reward , Databases, Bibliographic/statistics & numerical data , Humans , NeuroimagingABSTRACT
Introduction: Kessler Foundation Strength Identification and Expression (KF-STRIDE) is a strength-based job interview training tool developed for young adults on the autism spectrum. The intervention is based on a positive psychology framework to increase knowledge of character strengths, and how to relate them to a future employer. The current study sought to evaluate the acceptability, usability and feasibility of KF-STRIDE, as well as to guide adaptations to improve the tool's ability to meet the needs of those on the spectrum. Methods: Mixed methods (post-intervention surveys, and semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders) were used to inform the evaluation and consequent adaptations of KF-STRIDE. Results: The major findings of the study were that KF-STRIDE was found to be largely acceptable and usable. Importantly, however, our qualitative analysis revealed modifications that could help to better suit the needs of young adults on the spectrum, which included the incorporation of additional skills (i.e. etiquette, practicing hygiene) and more opportunities to practice job interviewing. Thus, we altered the implementation of the intervention to be web-based to improve accessibility. We incorporated the presence of an animated character to deliver the content, to eliminate the need for a highly trained interventionist. Discussion: KF-STRIDE was modified to increase access by incorporating feedback from the autism community. Future directions include assessing the efficacy of KF-STRIDE in young adults on the spectrum to identify whether employment outcomes are improved after using the tool.
ABSTRACT
Because cognitive fatigue (CF) is common and debilitating following brain injury or disease we investigated the relationships among CF, behavioral performance, and cerebral activation within and across populations by combining the data from two cross-sectional studies. Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) were included to model CF resulting from neurological disease; individuals who had sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) were included to model CF resulting from neurological insult; both groups were compared with a control group (Controls). CF was induced while neuroimaging data was acquired using two different tasks. CF significantly differed between the groups, with the clinical groups reporting more CF than Controls-a difference that was statistically significant for the TBI group and trended towards significance for the MS group. The accrual of CF did not differ across the three groups; and CF ratings were consistent across tasks. Increasing CF was associated with longer response time for all groups. The brain activation in the caudate nucleus and the thalamus was consistently correlated with CF in all three groups, while more dorsally in the caudate, activation differed across the groups. These results suggest the caudate and thalamus to be central to CF while more dorsal aspects of the caudate may be sensitive to damage associated with particular types of insult.
Subject(s)
Brain Injuries, Traumatic , Multiple Sclerosis , Humans , Cross-Sectional Studies , Brain/diagnostic imaging , Brain Injuries, Traumatic/complications , Multiple Sclerosis/complications , Multiple Sclerosis/psychology , Fatigue/complications , Cognition/physiologyABSTRACT
Background: Employment is a major contributor to quality of life. However, autistic people are often unemployed and underemployed. One potential barrier to employment is the job interview. However, the availability of psychometrically-evaluated assessments of job interviewing skills is limited for autism services providers and researchers. Objective: We analyzed the psychometric properties of the Mock Interview Rating Scale that was adapted for research with autistic transition-age youth (A-MIRS; a comprehensive assessment of video-recorded job interview role-play scenarios using anchor-based ratings for 14 scripted job scenarios). Methods: Eighty-five transition-age youth with autism completed one of two randomized controlled trials to test the effectiveness of two interventions focused on job interview skills. All participants completed a single job interview role-play at pre-test that was scored by raters using the A-MIRS. We analyzed the structure of the A-MIRS using classical test theory, which involved conducting both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyzes, Rasch model analysis and calibration techniques. We then assessed internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and test-retest reliability. Pearson correlations were used to assess the A-MIRS' construct, convergent, divergent, criterion, and predictive validities by comparing it to demographic, clinical, cognitive, work history measures, and employment outcomes. Results: Results revealed an 11-item unidimensional construct with strong internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and test-retest reliability. Construct [pragmatic social skills (r = 0.61, p < 0.001), self-reported interview skills (r = 0.34, p = 0.001)], divergent [e.g., age (r = -0.13, p = 0.26), race (r = 0.02, p = 0.87)], and predictive validities [competitive employment (r = 0.31, p = 0.03)] received initial support via study correlations, while convergent [e.g., intrinsic motivation (r = 0.32, p = 0.007), job interview anxiety (r = -0.19, p = 0.08)] and criterion [e.g., prior employment (r = 0.22, p = 0.046), current employment (r = 0.21, p = 0.054)] validities were limited. Conclusion: The psychometric properties of the 11-item A-MIRS ranged from strong-to-acceptable, indicating it may have utility as a reliable and valid method for assessing the job interview skills of autistic transition-age youth.