In order to investigate the relationship between the post-traumatic period and the severity of emotional distress, we examined 81 patients with head trauma by traffic accident using Symptom Checklist 90-R, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality
Inventory(MMR), Barratt Impulsivity Scale, and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale as measurement tools. Among them 53 patients were referred more than 6 months after traffic accident(mean period 13.70 months) and 28 patients were referred within 6
months
after traffic accident(mean period 5.07 months) for evaluation of their neuropsychiatric symptoms. It was discovered that there was a direct correlation between the post-traumatic period and the severity of emotional distress. The more chronic
head
trauma patients were more emotionally distressed and impulsive compared to acute patient group. These differences in emotional functioning appeared to be independent of level of neuropsychological impairment measured by Wechsler Adult
Intelligence
Test.
Increased awareness of impaired mental functioning with the passage of time, increased apprehension about head injury, and compensation problem related to traffic accident were described as possible causes enhanced emotional distress in some
chronic
head trauma patients.
In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that an effective time-period from evaluation of sequellae of head trauma should not be a short one, and proper management of emotional problem of head trauma patients must be performed from the
early
phase of treatment.
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