Age at injury and long-term behavior problems after traumatic brain injury in young children.

A study published recently in Rehabilitation Psychology examined the effects of age at injury on the persistence of behavior problems and social skill deficits in young children with complicated mild to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).  A concurrent cohort/prospective research design was used with repeated assessments of children with TBI (n = 82) or Orthopedic Injury (OI) (n = 114). Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist, the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions, and the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales or the Home and Community Social and Behavior Scales shortly after injury to assess preinjury functioning, and at an extended follow-up an average of 38 months postinjury. Generalized linear modeling was used to examine the relationship of age at injury to the maintenance of behavior problems, and logistic regression was used to examine the persistence of clinically significant behavior problems. Results: At the extended follow-up, severe TBI was associated with significantly greater anxiety problems relative to the Group OI. With increasing time since injury, children who sustained a severe TBI at an earlier age had significantly higher levels of parent-reported symptoms of ADHD and anxiety than children who were older at injury. Conclusions: Findings suggest that longer-term treatment for behavior problems may be needed after severe TBI, particularly for those injured at an earlier age.

For the abstract.

Comments

[child psychology]

TBI is the number one cause of mortality and disability in young adults in modern Western societies.Those injured by severe TBI at an earlier age will definitely need long term treatment.

[Doehrman Chamberlain]

This study shows why TBI prevention and awareness are so important for parents of young children. The CDC says that falls are the leading cause of TBI for children aged 0-4. Youngsters in this age group are also among the most likely to sustain a TBI because their heads are larger in relation to their bodies, and their neck muscles are not fully developed. Children of these ages cannot control the movement of their heads as well as adults and are more likely to have an accident or fall while learning skills such as walking or running.

[Shane Mitchell]

Age of injury are more equivalent found in young children as they are suffered from injury issues since from the childhood which is more recognized in the younger age and also influence the child's behavior. So parents should be more conscious about the behavior and studies of the children which protect them from age injuries.