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Published on: February 7, 2025
Short- and long-term social outcomes following pediatric traumatic brain injury
Keith Owen Yeates1, Erika Swift, H Gerry Taylor
1Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University, and Children's Research Institute, Columbus, Ohio, USA. yeates.1@osu.edu
Insights
Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to poor social outcomes for children, especially in challenging family environments. Neurocognitive skills like executive functions and language significantly impact long-term social adjustment after TBI.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Medicine
Background:
- Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have lasting effects on a child's development.
- Social outcomes are critical for long-term well-being and integration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the social outcomes of pediatric TBI.
- To identify factors influencing social adjustment post-injury.
- To explore the relationship between neurocognitive skills and social functioning.
Main Methods:
- Prospective, longitudinal study design.
- Inclusion of children with severe TBI, moderate TBI, and orthopedic injuries.
- Assessment of child and family functioning at multiple time points (baseline, 6, 12 months, and 4 years post-injury).
- Growth curve and path analyses.
Main Results:
- Pediatric TBI is associated with negative social outcomes.
- Lower socioeconomic status, fewer family resources, and poorer family functioning exacerbate TBI's social impact.
- Executive functions, pragmatic language, and social problem-solving skills partially mediate long-term social outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric TBI negatively affects social development.
- Family environment plays a crucial role in mitigating or worsening social outcomes.
- Targeting neurocognitive deficits may improve social functioning in children with TBI.
Abstract:
The social outcomes of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) were examined in a prospective, longitudinal study that included 53 children with severe TBI, 56 with moderate TBI, and 80 with orthopedic injuries, recruited between 6 and 12 years of age. Child and family functioning were assessed at baseline, at 6- and 12-month follow-ups, and at an extended follow-up a mean of 4 years post injury. Growth curve analyses revealed that pediatric TBI yields negative social outcomes that are exacerbated by family environments characterized by lower socioeconomic status, fewer family resources, and poorer family functioning. After controlling for group membership, age, race, socioeconomic status, and IQ, path analyses indicated that long-term social outcomes were accounted for in part by specific neurocognitive skills, including executive functions and pragmatic language, and by social problem-solving. Deficits in these domains among children with TBI are likely to reflect damage to a network of brain regions that have been implicated in social cognition.
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