Relationships of self-awareness and facial affect recognition to social communication ability in persons with traumatic brain injury. Issue 8 (14th September 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sherer, Mark; Clark, Allison N.; Sander, Angelle M.; Struchen, Margaret A.; Bogaards, Jay; Leon-Novelo, Luis; Ngan, Esther
• Is Part Of: Neuropsychological rehabilitation. Volume 32:Issue 8(2022)
• Page Start: 2013
• Page End: 2028
• Publication Date: 2022-09-14
• Subjects: traumatic brain injury -- sense of self -- social communication -- facial affect -- impaired self-awareness; Brain damage -- Patients -- Rehabilitation -- Periodicals; Clinical neuropsychology -- Periodicals; 617.4810443
• DOI: 10.1080/09602011.2022.2084118
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0960-2011

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause changes to the injured person's physical ability, cognitive functioning, and social interactions. Since these attributes largely determine a person's concept of who they are, TBI poses a threat to sense of self. Due to the importance of social communication skills for community integration, impairment of these skills is a particular threat to sense of self. The present investigation sought to explore characteristics that influence social communication abilities. We hypothesized that both ability to interpret facial affect and self-awareness would be associated with communication ability. We also expected that facial affect recognition would influence self-awareness and that the effect of facial affect recognition on social communication would be partially mediated by self-awareness. For this prospective cohort study, participants were 77 individuals with documented TBI. Of these, 65% were male and 83% sustained severe injuries. The hypothesized association of facial affect recognition with social communication was demonstrated with path analysis as was the effect of facial affect recognition on self-awareness. However, the effect of facial affect recognition on social communication was not mediated by self-awareness. In addition, social communication was associated with employment, social integration, and loneliness. Findings highlighted the importance of social communication after TBI.