Development of self-report items for identifying auditory symptoms after concussion

Anecdotal clinical reports and findings from recent research suggest that auditory symptoms are common following concussion. However, auditory symptoms are not often included in concussion assessments. A number of symptom-rating scales have been developed for documenting self-reported auditory symptoms, but these assessments were primarily designed to capture auditory symptoms stemming from hearing loss. In order to identify items that may be particularly sensitive to auditory symptoms following concussion, the present study completed a Principal Component Analysis on responses to three commonly administered clinical auditory symptom-rating scales from a sample of 95 normal-hearing Veterans and non-Veterans with and without history of brain injury. Results of this analysis were combined with an extensive literature review and content expert opinion to develop eight auditory symptom rating-scale items to better characterize common auditory symptoms related to concussion. These items were included in a new concussion symptom-rating scale, the Concussion Symptom Subtype Inventory (CSSI), which was designed to identify the presence and severity of concussion symptoms and is currently under testing and development. This work will provide important information about auditory symptoms related to concussion and will contribute to future work that aims to better understand and measure the effects of concussion on auditory processing.