Deficit awareness and treatment performance among traumatic head injury adults

Among a group of 45 severely head-injured clients in a post-acute rehabilitation programme, the clients' awareness of deficits and readiness to change are examined in relation to performance in treatment. Results lend qualified support to the hypothesis that head-injured clients who are aware of their deficits tend to have better treatment performance as rated by their therapists. Implications for measuring these constructs, matching treatment strategies to specific stages of change, and future investigation of the full application of these findings, are discussed.