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Published on: December 8, 2014
A comparison of concussive symptoms reported by parents for preschool versus school-aged children
Audrey McKinlay1, Veronica Ligteringen, Martin Than
1School of Psychology and Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (Dr McKinlay); University of Canterbury (Dr McKinlay), and Canterbury District Health Board (Ms Ligteringen); and Christchurch Hospital Emergency Department (Dr Than), Christchurch, New Zealand.
Insights
Parents reported fewer concussion symptoms in children with superficial head injuries compared to mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI). Younger children with mTBI showed fewer reported symptoms than older children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Neurotrauma
- Child Neurology
Background:
- Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a common pediatric injury.
- Accurate symptom reporting is crucial for mTBI diagnosis and management in children.
- Distinguishing between superficial head injuries and mTBI can be challenging based on initial presentation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare parental symptom reporting for concussion in children with superficial head injuries versus those with mTBI.
- To investigate age-related differences in symptom reporting for pediatric mTBI.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 159 children aged 2-12 years with head injuries in an urban hospital emergency department.
- Parents were surveyed within one week of injury.
- Participants were categorized into three groups: younger children (2-5 years) with mTBI, older children (6-12 years) with mTBI, and children (2-12 years) with superficial head injury.
Main Results:
- Concussion symptoms were reported across all groups.
- Significantly fewer symptoms were reported for superficial head injuries compared to mTBI (2.51 vs. 6.91).
- Parents of younger children with mTBI reported fewer symptoms than parents of older children with mTBI (5.23 vs. 8.51).
Conclusions:
- A cautious approach is necessary when assessing mTBI severity in preschool-aged children.
- Underestimating mTBI in young children may lead to misdiagnosis and inadequate treatment.
- Parental symptom reporting varies by injury severity and child's age, impacting clinical evaluation.
Objective:
To compare parental report of symptoms of concussion for children with superficial head injury versus children with a diagnosis of a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI).
Setting:
Urban hospital emergency department.
Participants:
Parents of 159 children aged 2 to 12 years who presented with an injury to the head.
Procedure:
Parents were contacted within 1 week of injury and assigned into 3 groups according to their child's age and medical diagnosis (group 1, parents of 2- to 5-year-olds with mTBI (n = 39); group 2, parents of 6- to 12-year-olds with mTBI (n = 41); and group 3, parents of 2- to 12-year-olds with superficial injury to the head (n = 35).
Results:
Symptoms of concussion were reported in all groups; however, significantly fewer symptoms were reported for children with superficial injuries to the head than for children with mTBI (M = 2.51 vs M = 6.91; P < .001). For mTBI, parents of younger children reported significantly fewer symptoms than parents of older children (M = 5.23 vs M = 8.51; P < .001).
Conclusions:
A careful approach needs to be taken when evaluating the severity of mTBI for preschool children. Failure to do so may result in misidentification and subsequent lack of management.
