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Detecting Behavioral Deficits in Rats After Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: January 30, 2018
Utilization of behavioral therapy services long-term after traumatic brain injury in young children
Christine L Karver1, Brad Kurowski2, Erin A Semple3
1Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH.
Insights
Children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and orthopedic injuries (OI) often have unmet behavioral health needs long after their injuries. Monitoring and treating these post-injury behavior problems is crucial for better outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
- Pediatric Orthopedic Injury (OI)
- Child Behavioral Health
Background:
- Young children experiencing traumatic brain injury (TBI) or orthopedic injuries (OI) may face significant behavioral health challenges.
- Parental ratings of child behavior problems and service utilization are key indicators of clinical need.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between clinical need (behavior problems and service use) in young children with TBI and OI.
- To assess long-term behavioral health needs and service utilization patterns post-injury.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study involving parents of 139 children (aged 3-7) with complicated mild to severe TBI or OI.
- Outcome measures, including behavior ratings and service utilization, were collected at 18 months and an extended follow-up (average 38 months post-injury).
Main Results:
- Children with TBI exhibited more behavior problems compared to those with OI.
- Clinical need correlated with increased service utilization, yet unmet needs were prevalent across all injury groups.
- Lower socioeconomic status was linked to higher rates of unmet behavioral health needs.
Conclusions:
- Significant unmet long-term behavioral health needs persist for children following both TBI and OI.
- Continuous monitoring and timely intervention for post-injury behavior problems are essential for pediatric recovery.
Objective:
To examine associations of clinical need, defined by elevated parent ratings of child behavior problems and utilization of behavioral health services in young children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and an orthopedic injury (OI) comparison group.
Design:
Parents completed outcome measures 18 months after injury and at an extended follow-up conducted an average of 38 months postinjury.
Setting:
Children's hospitals and a general hospital.
Participants:
Participants included parents of 3 groups of children injured between 3 and 7 years of age (N=139): 47 children with complicated mild to moderate TBI, 18 with severe TBI, and 74 with OI.
Interventions:
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures:
Parents completed ratings of child behavior, mental health symptomology, and family functioning at both visits; at the extended follow-up, they reported utilization of behavior therapy or counseling services since the 18-month follow-up visit.
Results:
Children with TBI had more behavior problems than those with OI. Although clinical need at both follow-ups was associated with greater service utilization at the extended follow-up, all groups had unmet needs as defined by a clinical need in the absence of services. Lower socioeconomic status was associated with higher rates of unmet need across groups.
Conclusions:
The results document unmet long-term behavioral health needs after both TBI and OI in children and underscore the importance of monitoring and treatment of postinjury behavior problems.
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