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Depression and Depressive Symptoms in Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: A Scoping Review
Christianne Laliberté Durish1, Rosemary S Pereverseff, Keith O Yeates
1Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute (Ms Laliberté Durish and Dr Yeates), Department of Psychology (Mss Pereverseff and Laliberté Durish and Dr Yeates), University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada (Dr Yeates).
Insights
Depressive symptoms are more common in children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) compared to healthy peers. Research is needed to understand risk factors and guide future studies on pediatric TBI and depression.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pediatric Psychology
Background:
- Depression is a significant concern in pediatric populations.
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have long-term psychological consequences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize existing knowledge on depression in pediatric TBI.
- To identify research gaps in this area.
Main Methods:
- A scoping review of published studies.
- Searches conducted in MEDLINE Ovid and PsycINFO Ovid databases.
- Inclusion of studies on children (0-18 years) with TBI and depressive symptoms.
Main Results:
- 14 studies were included in the review.
- Prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes related to depression in pediatric TBI were examined.
- Depressive symptoms are more prevalent in pediatric TBI than in healthy or orthopedic injury groups.
Conclusions:
- Injury-related factors (brain lesions, pain) and non-injury factors (older age, low socioeconomic status) may predict depressive symptoms.
- Depression appears to be a secondary outcome of pediatric TBI.
- Further research is needed to address the existing gaps in knowledge.
Objective:
This scoping review aimed to summarize the existing knowledge base regarding depression and depressive symptoms in pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) and to identify gaps in the literature in an effort to guide future research.
Methods:
MEDLINE Ovid and PsycINFO Ovid databases were each searched by the authors using search terms intended to identify any original research study that examined depressive symptoms in children (ie, aged 0-18 years) with TBI.
Results:
A total of 14 published studies were included in the review. The studies included examined the prevalence of depression, risk factors associated with depression, and depression as a predictor of other TBI-related outcomes.
Conclusion:
Existing research suggests that depressive symptoms are more common in a TBI population than in a healthy or orthopedically injured population. Injury-related factors such as lesions in the brain and the presence of pain, as well as noninjury factors such as older age at injury and low socioeconomic status, may be predictive of depressive symptoms. Depression is likely a secondary outcome of pediatric TBI rather than a direct result of the injury itself. Overall, a relative dearth of research exists on this topic; thus, the review concludes by proposing future research directions.
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