Neuropsychological assessment and emotional impact following a commuting accident: a forensic case study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.67799/prolepsis.2026.13.1.02Keywords:
forensic psychological assessment, acquired brain injury, depression, neuro-psychological sequelaeAbstract
Background: Neuropsychological and emotional sequelae resulting from severe occupational accidents may affect personal autonomy, quality of life, and psychosocial functioning. Method: A single-case study using a multimethod approach was conducted in a 63-year-old woman who suffered a commuting occupational accident followed by pulmonary thromboembolism, cardiorespiratory arrest, and cerebral hypoxia. The assessment included forensic-clinical interviews, behavioral observation, and administration of the Barcelona Short Test, MMPI-2, LSB-50, BDI-II, and SIMS. Results: Findings revealed moderate cognitive impairment, particularly in verbal memory, sustained attention, and executive functioning; severe depressive symptomatology; clinically significant psychological distress; and functional impairment. No clinically significant psychometric indicators compatible with conscious symptom simulation or deliberate symptom exaggeration were observed. Conclusions: The results suggest neuropsychological and emotional impairment consistent with post-accident sequelae, highlighting the usefulness of the multimethod approach in the forensic psychological assessment of complex cases.
References
Abuín, M. R., & de Rivera, L. (2014). La medición de síntomas psicológicos y psicosomáticos: el Listado de Síntomas Breve (LSB-50). Clínica y Salud, 25(2), 131–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clysa.2014.06.001
American Psychological Association. (2013). Specialty guidelines for forensic psychology. American Psychologist, 68(1), 7–19. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029889
Arce, R. (2018). Evaluación del daño psicológico: Psicometría, entrevista y técnica forense. En E. Carbonell, D. Pineda, & M. Novo (Eds.), Psicología jurídica: Ciencia y profesión (pp. 235–244). Sociedad Española de Psicología Jurídica y Forense.
Ariño Jordán, C., & Antonio Gheorghe, M. (2024). Deterioro neurocognitivo y psicopatológico secundarios a tratamiento oncológico: un estudio de caso. Psicopatología Clínica Legal y Forense, 24(1), 225–242.
Beck, A. T., Steer, R. A., & Brown, G. K. (2011). BDI-II: Inventario de depresión de Beck-II. Pearson Educación.
Bermúdez-García, M. V., Dehesa-Fontecilla, M. A., & Ovejero-Gómez, V. J. (2023). Abordaje de las complicaciones psicológicas en un paciente diagnosticado de accidente cerebrovascular en Cantabria. Nuberos Científica, 6(38), 6–14. https://ciberindex.com/c/nc/6380614nc
Butcher, J. N., Dahlstrom, W. G., Graham, J. R., Tellegen, A., & Kaemmer, B. (2001). MMPI-2: Inventario multifásico de personalidad de Minnesota-2. TEA Ediciones.
Campuzano, A., Castaño, G., & Restrepo, D. (2021). Consumo de alcohol y comorbilidad psiquiátrica en pacientes con trastornos neurológicos adquiridos. Revista Colombiana de Psiquiatría, 50(2), 112–120.
Dujo López, V., & Nagore Casas, A. (2024). La neuropsicología forense en el ámbito criminal. Psicopatología Clínica Legal y Forense, 24(1), 1–54.
López-Sendón, J. (2020). Secuelas cognitivas y emocionales tras parada cardiorrespiratoria e hipoxia cerebral. Revista Española de Cardiología, 73(9), 745–752.
Lugo, L. H., García, H. I., & Cano, B. C. (2023). Calidad de vida y discapacidad en personas con secuelas derivadas de lesiones graves. Acta Neurológica Colombiana, 39(1), 22–31.
Miguel-Alvaro, A., & Dujo López, V. (2026). Assessment of criminal responsibility in sexual offenses committed by individuals with mild intellectual disability and personality disorder: Forensic case analysis and discussion of attenuation criteria. International E-Journal of Criminal Sciences, 21, 3, 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1387/inecs.28412
Peña-Casanova, J. (2005). Test Barcelona abreviado: Manual de aplicación. Masson.
Samper, P. (2016). Trauma psicológico, personalidad y adaptación emocional tras acontecimientos vitales traumáticos. Clínica Contemporánea, 7(1), 45–57.
Sherman, E. M. S., Slick, D. J., & Iverson, G. L. (2020). Multidimensional malingering criteria for neuropsychological assessment: A 20-year update of the malingered neurocognitive dysfunction criteria. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 35(6), 735–764. https://doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acaa019
Slick, D. J., Sherman, E. M. S., & Iverson, G. L. (1999). Diagnostic criteria for malingered neurocognitive dysfunction: Proposed standards for clinical practice and research. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 13(4), 545–561. https://doi.org/10.1076/clin.13.4.545.1743
Sweet, J. J., Boone, K. B., Van Gorp, W. G., & Suhr, J. A. (2021). American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology consensus conference statement on the neuropsychological assessment of effort, response bias, and malingering. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 35(6), 1053–1106. https://doi.org/10.1080/13854046.2021.1896036
Tirapu-Ustárroz, J. (2007). La evaluación neuropsicológica. Psychosocial Intervention, 16(2), 189–211.
Williams, O. A., & Demeyere, N. (2021). Association of depression and anxiety with cognitive impairment 6 months after stroke. Neurology, 96(15), e1966–e1974. https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000011748
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.