Factor analysis of neuropsychological attention measures with mild traumatic brain injury patients

This study explored the factor structure of commonly used neuropsychological tests to assess attention in individuals with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Archival data were drawn from 269 patients (63% women; M_age = 47.8, SD = 14.6) seen at a private outpatient clinic between 2018 and 2023. Participants self-identified primarily as White (84%), with additional representation from Asian (10%), Hispanic/Latinx (3%), Black (1%), Middle Eastern/North African (1%), and Multiracial (1%) backgrounds. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with oblimin rotation was used to examine performance on the NAB Numbers & Letters Test, Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task (PASAT), Trail Making Test A & B, Digit Span, Arithmetic, and Coding. The EFA supported a four-factor solution that accounted for 58% of the total variance. These factors reflected: (1) visual attention and psychomotor speed, (2) auditory attention and working memory, (3) visuospatial scanning and search, and (4) interference management. The findings highlight the multifactorial structure of attention in mTBI and support the clinical relevance of using diverse measures to assess distinct attentional processes.