UC San Diego

We examined the association between cognitive functioning and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in military veterans with a history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) using two methods to assess cognition: mean performance on cognitive composite scores and across-test intraindividual variability (IIV). The sample included 73 veterans (84.9% male; age, mean = 32.47 years) who completed neuropsychological testing and self-report questionnaires ∼7 years post-injury. Three cognitive composite scores representing mean performance were computed, including memory, attention/processing speed (A/PS), and executive functioning (EF). Three IIV indices were also calculated reflecting degree of dispersion across the same cognitive domains: memory-IIV, A/PS-IIV, and EF-IIV. The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Checklist-Military Version (PCL-M) was used to assess current PTSD symptoms, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Short Version Physical Health domain was used to assess HR-QOL. Hierarchical linear regressions adjusting for PTSD symptoms demonstrated that IIV indices, but not mean cognitive composite scores, significantly predicted HR-QOL. Specifically, memory-IIV, A/PS-IIV, and EF-IIV, when taken together, made an independent and significant contribution to the prediction of HR-QOL. Examination of the standardized coefficients showed that the A/PS-IIV index was uniquely associated with HR-QOL, such that higher A/PS-IIV scores significantly predicted poorer HR-QOL. Our results are the first to show that, in veterans with remote mTBI histories, greater fluctuations in cognitive performance significantly contribute to poorer HR-QOL, even after accounting for PTSD symptom severity. Moreover, findings suggest that, compared to traditional mean cognitive performance scores, measures of IIV may represent more sensitive indicators of clinical outcome and better align with subjective experiences of distress.