Citation

Anderson V, Brown S, Newitt H. J. Neurotrauma 2010; 27(5): 863-870.

Affiliation

Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Critical Care & Neuroscience, Royal Children's Hospital, Flemington Rd, Parkville, Victoria, Australia, 3052; vicki.anderson@rch.org.au.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/neu.2009.1169

PMID

20144003

Abstract

Adult outcome from childhood brain injury is largely unknown, and health professionals have minimal evidence available to inform families about their child's long-term prognosis. This study aimed to investigate long-term outcomes in this group, focusing on quality of life (QOL), and the injury, developmental and environmental factors that influence this domain, using a retrospective and cross-sectional design. The sample was ascertained via medical record audit at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia, and included 130 young adult survivors of child TBI (84 males), 18-42 years at evaluation (M= 23.2, SD=3.3). Participants completed questionnaires regarding QOL and educational, employment and psychological status. Analysis of variance, chi-square and regression were employed to assess group differences and predictors of outcome. Results showed that most adult survivors of childhood TBI rated their QOL as intact, with only a small percentage (17%) reporting poor QOL. Poor QOL was more likely with low levels of perceived independence, severe TBI, younger injury age, failure to complete high school, and psychological problems. In conclusion, QOL in adult survivors of childhood TBI is better than expected, and closely associated with both injury and non-injury factors, and most consistently with the individual's perception of their level of independence.

Language: en