Impact of diagnosis threat on academic self-efficacy in mild traumatic brain injury

The current study examined the effect of diagnosis threat on self-efficacy and neuropsychological performance in mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). Forty-nine participants with a history of mild TBI were randomized to a diagnosis threat or control group. The diagnosis threat group were told they were selected based on their history of TBI, while control group participants were told to perform their best. Individuals in the diagnosis threat group reported significantly lower academic self-efficacy than control participants. The groups performed differently on only one neuropsychological measure. These results suggest that diagnosis threat may have a greater impact on psychological factors than on cognitive performance.