Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Group Intervention Studies in the Cognitive Rehabilitation of Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury: Challenges Faced by Researchers

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Neuropsychology Review Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

There are many factors to consider in designing and interpreting group studies. These include both analytic considerations, such as the selection of valid and reliable outcome measures, and subjective considerations, such as the selection of outcomes that are perceived to be important to participants and researchers. In this paper, we review key issues to consider in the design of group studies in neurorehabilitation, using problem-solving studies in traumatic brain injury as an example.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences (ANCDS) established writing committees in 1997 to develop evidence based practice guidelines for various clinical populations. The writing committee on Evidence-based Practice of Cognitive-Communication Disorders after Traumatic Brain Injury was established in 2001. For details about these committees and their work (see Frattalli et al., 2003).

  2. ITT analysis is useful for RCTs in which the treatment arms include an experimental condition and a placebo condition. ITT analysis is inappropriate when a randomized, crossover design is used.

References

  • American Academy of Neurology (AAN). (2004). Clinical practice guideline process manual, 2004 Edition. Prepared for the Quality Standards Subcommittee and the Therapeutics and Technology Assessment Subcommittee, by Edlund, W., Gonseth, G., So, Y., and Franklin, G. Retrieved on June 18, 2006 at http://www.aan.com.

  • Bedell, G. M., Cohn, E. S., & Dumas, H. M. (2005). Exploring parents’ use of strategies to promote social participation of school-age children with acquired brain injuries. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 59(3), 273–284.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bilbao, A., Kennedy, C., Chatterji, S., Ustun, B., Barquero, J., & Barth, J. T. (2003). The ICF: Applications of the WHO model of functioning, disability and health to brain injury rehabilitation. NeuroRehabilitation, 18, 239–250.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coelho, C., Ylvisaker, M., & Turkstra, L. S. (2005). Nonstandardized assessment approaches for individuals with traumatic brain injuries. Seminars in Speech and Language, 26(4), 223–241.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cicerone, K. D., Dahlberg, C., Malec, J. F., Langenbahn, D. M., Felicetti, T., Kneipp, S., et al. (2005). Evidence-based cognitive rehabilitation: updated review of the literature from 1998 through 2002. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 86(8), 1681–1692.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, H., & Hedges, L. V. (Eds.). (1994). The handbook of research synthesis (pp. 215–230). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellenberg, J. H. (1996). Intent-to-treat analysis versus as-treated analysis. Drug Information Journal, 30, 535–544.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fasotti, L., Kovacs, F., Eling, P. A. T. M., & Brouwer, W. H. (2000). Time pressure management as a compensatory strategy training after closed head injury. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 10, 47–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frattalli, C., Bayles, K., Beeson, P., Kennedy, M. R. T., Wambaugh, J., & Yorkston, K. M. (2003). Development of evidence-based practice guidelines: Committee update. Journal of Medical Speech-Language Pathology, 11(3), ix–xvii.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fox, R. M., Martella, R. C., & Marchand-Martella, N. E. (1989). The acquisition, maintenance and generalization of problem-solving skills by closed head injured adults. Behavioral Therapy, 20, 61–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guyatt, G. H., Haynes, R. B., Jaeschke, R. Z., Cook, D. J., Green, L., Naylor, C. D., et al. (2000). Users’ Guides to the medical literature: XXV. Evidence-based medicine: principles for applying the Users’ Guides to patient care. Evidence-based medicine working group. Journal of the American Medical Association, 284(10), 1290–1296.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hashimoto, K., Okamoto, T., Watanabe, S., & Ohashi, M. (2006). Effectiveness of a comprehensive day treatment program for rehabilitation of patients with acquired brain injury in Japan. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 38(1), 20–25.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Injury and Violence Prevention Unit: Emergency Department-Treated Traumatic Brain Injury Minnesota 1998–2003. (2005). St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Health; September 2005. Retrieved on July 18, 2005 at http://www.health.state.mn.us/injury.

  • Keleman, W. L., Frost, P. J., & Weaver, C. A., III (2000). Individual differences in metacognition: Evidence against a general metacognitive ability. Memory & Cognition, 28, 92–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy, M. R. T. (2004). Self-monitoring recall during two tasks after traumatic brain injury: A preliminary study. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 13(2), 142–154.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy, M. R. T., & Coelho, C. (2005). Self-regulation after traumatic brain injury: A framework for intervention of memory and problem solving. Seminars in Speech and Language, 26, 242–255.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Levine, B., Robertson, I. H., Clare, L., Carter, G., Hong, J., Wilson, B. A., et al. (2000). Rehabilitation of executive functioning: An experimental-clinical validation of goal management training. Journal of International Neuropsychological Society, 6, 299–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manly, T., Hawkins, K., Evans, J., Woldt, K., & Robertson, I. H. (2001). Rehabilitation of executive function: Facilitation of effective goal management on complex tasks using periodic auditory alerts. Neuropsychologia, 40, 271–281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, R. C., Karow, C. M., Morelli, C. A., Iden, K. K., Dixon, J., & Cranfill, T. B. (2004). Effects of interactive strategy modeling training on problem-solving by persons with traumatic brain injury. Aphasiology, 18, 650–673.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montgomery, E., & Turkstra, L. (2003). Evidence-based medicine: Let’s be reasonable. Journal of Medical Speech Language Pathology, 11(2).

  • Nelson, H. E., & Willison, J. (1991). National adult reading test (2nd ed.) Windsor: NFER-Nelson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition. (2001). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

  • Rath, J. F., Simon, D., Langenbahn, D. M., Sherr, R. L., & Diller, L. (2003). Group treatment of problem-solving deficits in outpatients with traumatic brain injury: A randomised outcome study. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 13, 461–488.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riley, G. A., & Simmonds, L. V. (2003). How robust is performance on the National Adult Reading Test following traumatic brain injury? British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 42, 319–328.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raymer, S., Beeson, P., Holland, A. L., Kendall, D., Mayer, L., Martin, N., et al., and the Aphasia Work Group. (2006). Translational research in aphasia: From neuroscience to neurorehabilitation. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research (in press).

  • Schiavetti, N., & Metz, D. (2005). Evaluating research in communicative disorders (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sohlberg, M., Avery, J., Kennedy, M. R. T., Coelho, C., Ylvisaker, M., Turkstra, L., et al. (2003). Practice guidelines for direct attention training. Journal of Medical Speech-Language Pathology, 11(3), xix–xxxix.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sohlberg, M. M., Kennedy, M. R. T., Avery, J., Coelho, C., Turkstra, L., Ylvisaker, M., et al. (in press). Evidence based practice for the use of external aids as a memory rehabilitation technique. Journal of Medical Speech Pathology.

  • Stablum, F., Umilta, C., Mogentale, C., Carlan, M., & Guerrini, C. (2000). Rehabilitation of executive deficits in closed head injury and anterior communicating artery aneurysm patients. Psychological Research, 63, 265–278.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tate, R., Perdices, M., McDonald, S., Togher, L., & Moseley, A. (2004). PsycBITE: Psychological database for brain impairment treatment efficacy. Retrieved on September 13, 2006, http://www.psychbite.com.

  • Thompson, B. (2002). What future quantitative social science research could look like: Confidence intervals for effect sizes. Educational Researchers, 31(3), 25–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turkstra, L., Ylvisaker, M., Coelho, C., Kennedy, M., Sohlberg, M. M., & Avery, J. (2005). Practice guidelines for standardized assessment for persons with traumatic brain injury. Journal of Medical Speech-Language Pathology, 13(2).

  • von Cramon, D. Y., Matthes-von Cramon, G., & Mai, N. (1991). Problem solving deficits in brain injured patients. A therapeutic approach. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 1, 45–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Webb, P. M., & Gluecauf, R. L. (1994). The effects of direct involvement in goal setting on rehabilitation outcome for persons with traumatic brain injuries. Rehabilitation Psychology, 39, 179–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Willer, B., Ottenbacher, K. J., & Coad, M. L. (1994). The community integration questionnaire. A comparative examination. American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 73(2), 103–111.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Minnesota, 164 Pillsbury Dr. S.E., 115 Shevlin Hall, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Mary R. T. Kennedy

  2. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Lyn Turkstra

Authors
  1. Mary R. T. Kennedy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lyn Turkstra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mary R. T. Kennedy.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kennedy, M.R.T., Turkstra, L. Group Intervention Studies in the Cognitive Rehabilitation of Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury: Challenges Faced by Researchers. Neuropsychol Rev 16, 151–159 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-006-9012-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-006-9012-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation