ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the m ain perform ance of personality change in people w ith m ild psy-chiatric im pairm ents w hich due to the brain traum a caused by traffic accidents and its value in assess-m ent of psychiatric im pairm ent. Methods The condition of personality change of patients w ith traum atic brain injury caused by traffic accident w as evaluated by the Scale of Personality Change Post-traum atic Brain Injury (SPCPTBI). Furtherm ore, the correlation betw een the personality change and the degrees of traum atic brain injury and psychiatric im pairm ent w ere explored. Results In 271 sam ples, 239 (88.2% ) w ith personality changes. A m ong these 239 sam ples, 178 (65.7% ), 46 (17.0% ), 15 (5.5% ) w ith m ild, m oderate and severe personality changes, respectively. The ratio based on the extent of personality changes to the degree of brain traum a w as not significant (P>0.05), but the total score difference betw een the groups w as significant (P<0.05). There w as no statistical significance betw een the m edium and high severity brain traum a groups. The higher degree of personality changes, the higher rank of m ental disabilities. The total score difference of the scale of personality change am ong the different m ild psychiatric im pair-m ent group w as significant (P<0.05). The difference betw een other psychiatric im pairm ent levels had statistical significance (P<0.05) except level 7 and 8. Conclusion The occurrence of personality change due to traum atic brain injury caused by traffic accident w as high. Correlations exist betw een the personality change and the degree of psychiatric im pairm ent. Personality change due to brain traum a caused by traffic accident can be assessed effectively by m eans of SPCPTBI, and the correlation betw een the total score and the extent of traum atic brain injury can be found.