Background
Persistent subjective cognitive complaints (SCC) are common and burdensome after mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI), yet it is unclear why they persist. Illness perceptions and psychological distress are thought to play a role in perpetuating these complaints. This study examined the association between illness perceptions and SCC and explored whether psychological distress moderates this relationship in a chronic, treatment-seeking mTBI sample. 

Methods
A cross-sectional observational study was conducted using routinely collected clinical data from 113 mTBI patients at a rehabilitation centre. Measures included the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire (CFQ), Illness Perception Questionnaire-Kort (IPQ-K), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Associations were examined using Pearson correlations, and moderation was explored using hierarchical multiple linear regression with bootstrapped robust standard errors. 

Results
Illness perceptions were not significantly associated with SCC (r=-.04,p=.75). Furthermore, there is no evidence that psychological distress moderates this association (R_"change" ^2=.003,p= .69). The full model explained 4.3% of the variance in SCC. 

Conclusion
In this chronic, treatment-seeking sample, illness perceptions did not explain SCC in persistent mTBI patients. Overall, SCC cannot be adequately explained by general illness perceptions or psychological distress alone. To better understand the psychological mechanisms underlying persistent SCC in mTBI, future research should combine longitudinal designs with cognition-specific measures of illness perceptions.