Karen A Sullivan1, Shannon L Edmed. 1. Clinical Neuropsychology Research Group, School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Queensland, Australia. karen.sullivan@qut.edu.au
Abstract
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To investigate the good-old-days bias, a psychosocial factor associated with post-concussion syndrome (PCS). STUDY DESIGN: Repeated measures comparison of PCS symptoms reported 6 months prior (retrospectively) and currently. A non-clinical sample was used to determine if this bias is a general recall bias. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Fifty-seven university students with no history of brain injury or neurological disease completed the British Columbia Post-concussion Symptom Inventory. Symptoms were reported on two occasions, spaced 1 week apart, commencing with current symptoms. MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Using PCS symptom frequency by severity product scores, there was no significant difference in the 13 PCS symptoms reported across occasions, nor the relevant summary score (p = 0.199). These data do not support the presence of a general recall bias. However, significant differences emerged when analysed using a simple count of the total number of endorsed symptoms (p = 0.002, d = 0.39, small-to-medium effect) or the sample percentage that endorsed each symptom (four symptoms were endorsed by fewer participants retrospectively than currently). CONCLUSIONS: There is only weak evidence of a general recall bias in this non-clinical sample. Further consideration of the methods used to study this bias and its role clinically is needed.
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To investigate the good-old-days bias, a psychosocial factor associated with post-concussion syndrome (PCS). STUDY DESIGN: Repeated measures comparison of PCS symptoms reported 6 months prior (retrospectively) and currently. A non-clinical sample was used to determine if this bias is a general recall bias. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Fifty-seven university students with no history of brain injury or neurological disease completed the British Columbia Post-concussion Symptom Inventory. Symptoms were reported on two occasions, spaced 1 week apart, commencing with current symptoms. MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Using PCS symptom frequency by severity product scores, there was no significant difference in the 13 PCS symptoms reported across occasions, nor the relevant summary score (p = 0.199). These data do not support the presence of a general recall bias. However, significant differences emerged when analysed using a simple count of the total number of endorsed symptoms (p = 0.002, d = 0.39, small-to-medium effect) or the sample percentage that endorsed each symptom (four symptoms were endorsed by fewer participants retrospectively than currently). CONCLUSIONS: There is only weak evidence of a general recall bias in this non-clinical sample. Further consideration of the methods used to study this bias and its role clinically is needed.
Authors: Gregory Fedorchak; Aakanksha Rangnekar; Cayce Onks; Andrea C Loeffert; Jayson Loeffert; Robert P Olympia; Samantha DeVita; John Leddy; Mohammad N Haider; Aaron Roberts; Jessica Rieger; Thomas Uhlig; Chuck Monteith; Frank Middleton; Scott L Zuckerman; Timothy Lee; Keith Owen Yeates; Rebekah Mannix; Steven Hicks Journal: J Neurol Date: 2021-05-24 Impact factor: 4.849