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Social function changes in children and adolescents with acquired brain injury during inpatient rehabilitation
H M Dumas1, S M Haley, G M Bedell
1The Research Center for Children with Special Health Care Needs, Franciscan Children's Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, Boston, MA 02135, USA. fchcenter@tiac.net
Insights
Children with acquired brain injury showed improved social function during rehabilitation. Traumatic brain injury cases improved most, though varying changes were seen across subtypes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurorehabilitation
- Child Psychology
- Acquired Brain Injury Research
Background:
- Acquired brain injury (ABI) in children impacts social functioning.
- Inpatient rehabilitation aims to improve functional capabilities.
- Understanding changes in social function is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess changes in social function capabilities in children with six subtypes of ABI during inpatient rehabilitation.
- To compare changes in social function between and within diagnostic subgroups.
- To identify the extent of clinically meaningful improvements in social functioning.
Main Methods:
- The study involved 139 children with ABI, assessed using the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) Social Functional Skills Scale.
- Changes in scaled summary scores were calculated from admission to discharge.
- Statistical analyses included ANOVAs for between-group differences and paired t-tests for within-group changes, alongside effect sizes.
Main Results:
- Overall, children with ABI demonstrated significant improvements in social functioning from admission to discharge (p < 0.001).
- Children with traumatic brain injury showed the most significant improvement, surpassing those with seizures.
- Forty-five percent of all children achieved a clinically meaningful change (≥10 points) in social function.
Conclusions:
- Inpatient rehabilitation leads to significant gains in social functioning for children with ABI.
- The degree of improvement in social function varies across different diagnostic subgroups.
- Further research is warranted to explore the specifics of clinically meaningful changes and the areas of social functioning that improve.
Objective:
To examine changes in social function capabilities between and within groups of children with six subtypes of acquired brain injury during inpatient rehabilitation.
Measure:
The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) Social Functional Skills Scale was administered to 139 children with acquired brain injury (mean age=9.28 years; SD = 5.27).
Methods:
Scaled summary score changes from hospital admission to discharge for the total group and six diagnostic sub-groups were calculated. One-way ANOVAs were performed for the total group and six sub-groups to determine between group differences in amount of change. Within-group changes were examined by paired t-tests, effect sizes and the proportion of children who made a clinically meaningful change (> or = 10 points).
Results:
Children with traumatic brain injury demonstrated the greatest amount of change during inpatient rehabilitation, but only significantly greater than children with seizures. Scores were significantly higher at discharge for the total group (p < 0.001) and all sub-groups except for the anoxia group. Forty-five per cent of all children made clinically meaningful changes.
Conclusions:
Children with acquired brain injury made significant changes in social functioning from admission to discharge. Varying degrees of change existed for diagnostic sub-groups. Further research is needed to examine clinically meaningful changes and in which areas of social functioning children are changing during inpatient rehabilitation.