Social communication skills group treatment: A feasibility study for persons with traumatic brain injury and comorbid conditions

Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility of improving impaired social communication skills in persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and concomitant neurological or psychiatric conditions, using an intervention with evidence of efficacy in a TBI cohort without such complications. Research design: Cohort study with pre-post intervention and follow-up assessments. Methods: Thirty individuals with TBI >= 1 year post-injury and identified social communication problems participated in a group intervention to improve social communication skills. Interventions: Group Interactive Structured Treatment (GIST) for Social Competence; 13 week, 1.5 hour manualized intervention. Outcome measures: Profile of Pragmatic Impairment in Communication (PPIC); Social Communication Skills Questionnaire-Adapted (SCSQ-A); LaTrobe Communication Questionnaire (LCQ); Goal Attainment Scale (GAS), Awareness Questionnaire (AQ), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS); Participation Assessment with Recombined Tools (PART). Main outcomes and results: Participants made statistically significant gains on the SCSQ-A, GAS and SWLS post-treatment and at 6 months follow-up, using self and other ratings. Gains on the PPIC did not reach statistical significance but trended toward improvement. Treatment effects were not noted in analyses of the AQ or the PART. The LCQ showed statistically significant gains post-treatment and at follow-up. Conclusions: Participants showed improvement on subjective social communication skills measures post-treatment and at follow-up, demonstrating potential efficacy of the intervention in a broader population of persons with TBI, worthy of further investigation.