Abstract

QUIJANO, María Cristina; ARANGO LASPRILLA, Juan Carlos  and  CUERVO, María Teresa. Cognitive, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders in Patients with Long-term Traumatic Brain Injury in Cali, Colombia.. rev.colomb.psiquiatr. [online]. 2010, vol.39, n.4, pp.697-713. ISSN 0034-7450.

Introduction: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is one of the primary causes of death and disability in Colombia. The objective of the present study was to determine the cognitive, emotional, and neurobehavioral functioning of a group of individuals with TBI in Cali, Colombia. Method: A neuropsychologist administered a comprehensive neuropsycholo-gical evaluation (Neuropsi) and the Spanish-language version of the Neurobehavioral Functional Inventory (NFI) to 30 individuals with TBI from Teravida Neurological Rehabilitation Center and del Valle University Hospital in Cali, Colombia and 30 healthy controls. Results: Compared to controls, the patients scored significantly worse on attention, memory, executive functioning, and language tests. The patients scored significantly higher than controls on three sub-scales of the NFI: Depression, somatic symptoms, and communication problems. Conclusion: Patients with long-term TBI not only have cognitive difficulties, but also depressive symptoms, somatic, and communication problems, which underlines the need for these patients to receive care from health services in these two areas (cognitive and emotional-behavioral), involving them in programs of cognitive rehabilitation, psychotherapy, and psychoeducation to improve the quality of life of the patients and their families.

Keywords : Brain injuries; disability evaluation; complications..

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