Citation

Catroppa C, Hearps SJ, Crossley L, Yeates KO, Beauchamp MH, Fussela J, Anderson V. J. Neurotrauma 2016; 34(7): 1439-1447.

Affiliation

University of Melbourne, 2281, Psychological Sciences and Paediatrics, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia ; vicki.anderson@rch.org.au.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/neu.2016.4594

PMID

27809667

Abstract

This study sought to investigate social and behavioral outcomes 12 months following childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to identify predictors of these outcomes. The study also compared rates of impairment in social and behavioral outcomes at 12 months post-injury between children with TBI and a typically developing (TD) control group. The study comprised 114 children ages 5.5 to 16 years, 79 with mild, moderate, or severe TBI and 35 TD children, group-matched for age, sex and SES. Children with TBI were recruited via consecutive hospital admissions and TD children from the community. Social and behavioural outcomes were measured via parent rated questionnaires. ANCOVA models identified a significant mean difference between the mild and moderate groups for social problems only, but the moderate and severe TBI groups showed a higher rate of impairment, particularly in externalizing problems. Pre-injury function, injury severity, parent mental health, and child self-esteem, all contributed significantly to predicting social and behavioral outcomes. Both injury and non-injury factors should be considered when identifying children at risk for long-term difficulties in social and behavioral domains.

Language: en