Emotional adjustment in compensated head injury patients

Patterns of emotional adjustment based on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) were examined in a group of 124 patients who had suffered head injuries, reported postconcussional symptoms, and were receiving compensation. Cluster analytical procedures were used to identify subgroups. The sample was divided into two equivalent groups for purposes of crossvalidation. The results of the analyses in the two samples yielded similar patterns. Within each subgroup, the groups differed on the level and pattern of emotional disturbance. Approximately 65% of the sample had normal profiles or only mild elevations on the "neurotic" scales. The largest subgroup had mild elevations. After the exclusion of invalid profiles, a small proportion had severe disturbances. The injury-related neurological characteristics of these groups are similar. These findings are discussed in terms of the previous literature on the effects of compensation on posttraumatic personality adjustment.