Stability of normal personality traits after traumatic brain injury

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Article about a study investigating the type and extent of personality changes in adults after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The hypothesis that TBI results in personality changes, especially in greater expression of negative emotionality and declines in social contact and activity, was tested by having relatives or significant others provide personality assessments for a sample of TBI patients soon after the injury and six months later, with the results being compared to similar data from a control group rating normal adults. It was found that of five scales from the revised NEO Personality Inventory, Form R (NEO PI-R), significant score declines were found for the Extraversion scale, but no significant changes were found for Neuroticism, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, or Conscientiousness. The authors conclude that the absence of systematic changes in personality trait scores among the patients cautions against presuming that such changes account for the behavior of TBI patients.

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