Feasibility Study: The Contribution of Hypnosis in the Management of Adults With Brain Injuries

This is a self-reported questionnaire designed to assess health-related quality of life. It includes 36 items distributed across 8 dimensions: physical function, physical role limitations, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social function, emotional role limitations, and mental health. Each dimension is scored on a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 represents the worst health status and 100 the best. The SF-36 allows for the calculation of two overall scores: one for physical health and another for mental health.

This scale consists of a 10 cm horizontal line, marked at both ends with descriptors such as "not at all" (0) to "completely" (10). Participants are asked to rate their feelings from 0 to 10 regarding four symptoms: "I feel anxious," "I have sleep disturbances," "I have disabling pain," and "I exhibit behavioral disturbances."

Anxiety will be evaluated using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The STAI is a psychometric tool that measures two aspects of anxiety: state anxiety (temporary anxiety related to a specific situation) and trait anxiety (stable, dispositional anxiety). It consists of two subscales, each with 20 items, rated from 1 (not at all) to 4 (very much). The total score for each subscale ranges from 20 to 80, with higher scores indicating higher levels of anxiety.

The severity of behavioral disorders will be assessed using the DEX questionnaire from the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS). This questionnaire was developed to evaluate executive dysfunction in daily life activities. It is a self-assessment measure consisting of 20 items that assess four dysexecutive criteria: behavioral, cognitive, motivational, and emotional changes, compared to premorbid functioning. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from "never" to "very often." The sum of each item provides an overall score from 0 to 80. The higher the score, the more severe the executive disorders are. This questionnaire has the advantage of providing both a self-assessment from the patient and an external assessment by the patient's referring neuropsychologist.

This questionnaire is a self-reported tool consisting of 21 items, each rated from 0 to 3, assessing various symptoms of depression such as mood, cognition, sleep, and appetite. The total score ranges from 0 to 63, with thresholds indicating the severity of depression: 0-13 (minimal depression), 14-19 (mild), 20-28 (moderate), and 29-63 (severe). The scale is commonly used in both clinical practice and research to track the progression of depressive symptoms and measure the effectiveness of treatments.

This self-reported questionnaire is designed to assess sleep quality and its impact on health over a 1-month period. It measures 7 components of sleep: subjective quality, sleep onset latency, sleep duration, usual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleep medication, and daytime dysfunction. Each component is rated from 0 to 3, with a total score ranging from 0 to 21. A score higher than 5 indicates poor sleep quality.

The MoCA is a cognitive assessment designed as a quick screening tool for detecting mild cognitive impairment. The MoCA evaluates the following cognitive domains: attention and concentration, executive functions, memory, language, visuoconstructive skills, conceptual thinking, calculations, and spatiotemporal orientation. This scale provides a total score out of 30, which is the sum of the different scores obtained in the sub-scores. With a threshold score of 26, a total score of 26 or higher is considered a normal score. A score below 26 indicates mild cognitive deficits. Investigators choose this scale both for its ease and speed of administration and for its sensitivity to even mild cognitive impairments.

The GCS is an assessment scale for evaluating the level of consciousness. This scale is a structured evaluation based on 3 components, measured independently: eye opening (E), verbal response (V), and motor response (M). Each sub-scale has a number of grades, starting with the most severe score. Specifically, the "eye opening (E)" sub-scale ranges from 1 (no eye opening) to 4 points (spontaneous eye opening). The "verbal response (V)" sub-scale ranges from 1 (no verbal response) to 5 points (oriented response). Finally, the "motor response (M)" sub-scale ranges from 1 (no motor response) to 6 points (obeys commands). These 3 sub-scales give a total score between 3 (minimum possible score) and 15 (maximum possible score). Regarding interpretation, a score of 15 indicates a normal state. A score between 14 and 10 indicates drowsiness or light coma, while a score between 9 and 4 indicates an increasingly deep coma or unconsciousness. Finally, a score of 3 corresponds to a very deep coma.