Sex-Based Differences in Perceived Pragmatic Communication Ability of Adults With Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Objective: To identify sex-based differences in self-reported and close other-reported perceptions of communication behaviors in adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Design: Between-groups comparison of questionnaire data from men and women with TBI and their close others.

Setting: University academic department.

Participants: Adults with medically documented TBI (n=160) and adults without TBI (n=81; control group) (N=241).

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main outcome measure: La Trobe Communication Questionnaire, a standardized measure of communication problems in everyday life.

Results: Participants with TBI endorsed more communication problems than controls (P<.001). There were no significant differences in self-ratings (P=.20) or in the ratings of close others (P=.09) in communication behaviors of men with TBI compared with women with TBI. There was no difference between the self-ratings of women with TBI and their close others (P=.59). However, men with TBI significantly underreported communication problems compared with reports of close others (P<.001).

Conclusions: Women with TBI might be more accurate than men with TBI in recognizing their own pragmatic communication problems.

Keywords: Brain injuries; Communication; Rehabilitation; Sex factors; Social behavior.