Sluggish cognitive tempo in children with traumatic brain injuries

This exploratory study is the first to investigate whether the construct of sluggish-cognitive tempo (SCT) is related to slowed processing speed in children with traumatic brain injury (TBI), while also considering pre-morbid and injury variables. The study evaluated SCT, as measured by the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and processing speed, as assessed with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV Processing Speed Index), in children who sustained TBI with a wide range of injury severity. Injury variables examined included the length of coma, presence of neuroimaging findings, and time between injury and assessment. Children's cognitive reserve, as estimated by parental level of education, was a non-injury variable. The participants included 50 children, ages 6-16 years, without co-morbid neurological or psychiatric conditions who underwent a neuropsychological evaluation within 1-12 months after injury. Results indicated no significant correlations between SCT and any of the WISC-IV index scores. Children with a moderate-severe TBI did not differ from those with uncomplicated mild TBI on SCT but they had statistically significant lower WISC-IV Processing Speed. Although parents of children with uncomplicated mild TBI had higher levels of education as compared to parents of children with moderate-severe TBI, there was no statistically significant relationship between the level of parental education and either SCT or Processing Speed. This study suggests that SCT, as measured by the CBCL, is not a sensitive measure of sequelae of pediatric TBI.