Evaluating Negative Attributions in Persons With Brain Injury: A Comparison of 2 Measures.

OBJECTIVES: To compare construct and predictive validity, readability, and time-to-administer of 2 negative attribution measures in participants with traumatic brain injury (TBI). SETTING: Two TBI rehabilitation hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-five adults with complicated mild to severe TBI. MAIN MEASURES: Negative attributions (intent, hostility, and blame) and anger responses to hypothetical scenarios were measured with the Epps scenarios and the Ambiguous Intention Hostility Questionnaire (AIHQ). Trait aggression was measured with the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ). RESULTS: Associations between attributions and anger responses (ie, construct validity) within each measure were significant (Epps: r = 0.61-0.74; AIHQ: r = 0.39-0.71); however, associations were stronger for Epps (Ps < .001). Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) revealed attributions from both measures predicted BPAQ scores (area under the ROC curves = 0.6-0.8); predictive validity did not statistically differ between the 2 measures. Both had comparable readability (fifth- to sixth-grade levels), but Epps required longer administration times. CONCLUSION: Negative attributions affect anger and aggression after TBI, making it important to identify suitable assessments for the TBI population. While psychometric properties of the AIHQ and Epps scenarios should be further explored, this study offers early support for the use of either instrument in persons with TBI. Advantages and disadvantages of the AIHQ and Epps scenarios are highlighted.

Assessing Negative Attributions After Brain Injury With the Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire.

OBJECTIVES: (1) To explore the construct validity of the Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire (AIHQ) in participants with traumatic brain injury (TBI) (ie, confirm negative attributions are associated with anger and aggression); and (2) use the AIHQ to examine negative attribution differences between participants with and without TBI. SETTING: Two rehabilitation hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-five adults with TBI and 86 healthy controls (HCs). DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. MAIN MEASURES: The AIHQ, a measure of negative attributions (intent, hostility, and blame), anger, and aggressive responses to hypothetical scenarios. RESULTS: Attributions were significantly correlated with anticipated anger and aggressive responses to AIHQ scenarios. Compared with HCs, participants with TBI reported stronger negative attributions (P ≤ .001), anger (P = .021), and aggressive responses (P = .002) to the scenarios. CONCLUSION: Negative attributions were associated with anger and aggression responses, demonstrating construct validity of the AIHQ in the TBI population. Participants with TBI judged others' behaviors more severely than HCs, similar to prior research using a different attribution measure. The AIHQ has promise as a practical instrument for assessing negative attributions after TBI.