An examination of financial capacity and neuropsychological performance in chronic acquired brain injury (CABI).

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: Financial Capacity (FC) is known to be impaired in the acute and subacute stages of brain injury. The current study sought to examine FC in the context of chronic, moderate to severe acquired brain injury (CABI).

RESEARCH DESIGN: The Financial Competence Assessment Inventory (FCAI), developed in Australia, was adapted to examine the integrity of FC in an American sample.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Healthy comparison (HC) participants were recruited from the community, whereas participants with CABI were recruited from a community-based rehabilitation center. Participants completed the FCAI and a neuropsychological battery. FCAI performance in the current study was compared against previously published Australian data. Multiple regression analyses examined group (CABI vs. HC) as a predictor of FC. Bivariate correlations examined the cognitive correlates of FCAI in the CABI group.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The HC group in the current study obtained similar mean scores as those in the Australian sample. CABI group membership predicted lower performance on each FCAI dimension. In the CABI group, attention, working memory, delayed verbal memory, abstract reasoning and impulsivity were uniquely associated with FCAI dimensions.

CONCLUSIONS: Findings underscore the importance of continued monitoring of FC even after the subacute stage of injury, and identify cognitive impairments that may be particularly detrimental for specific dimensions of FC.