Citation

Peterson RL, Connery AK, Baker DA, Kirkwood MW. J. Neuropsychiatry Clin. Neurosci. 2015; 27(4): 280-286.

Affiliation

From the Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Colorado School of Medicine and Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, American Neuropsychiatric Association, Publisher American Psychiatric Publishing)

DOI

10.1176/appi.neuropsych.14120373

PMID

26258490

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize preinjury emotional-behavioral functioning in pediatric patients with lingering problems after mild traumatic brain injury (TBI). The clinical case series design included 278 patients 8-17 years old. Parents retrospectively rated children's preinjury emotional-behavioral functioning on a broadband questionnaire. The rate of clinically significant preinjury anxiety was elevated compared with national norms. The number of previous TBIs was associated with clinically significant preinjury externalizing problems, suggesting a link between externalizing disorders and mild TBI exposure. Premorbid emotional-behavioral difficulties may play an important role in the establishment or maintenance of lingering symptoms after pediatric mild TBI.

Language: en