Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 31, 2026
A Pediatric Concussion Model in Mice: Closed Head Injury with Long-Term Disorders (CHILD)
Published on: February 7, 2025
Long-Term Mental Well-Being in Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors: A Nationwide Longitudinal Study
Elina Kyösti1, Päivi Lindholm2, Era Mikkonen3
1Research Group of Surgery, Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Division of Intensive Care Medicine, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland; Medical Research Center of Oulu University and Oulu University Hospital, Critical Care Center, Oulu, Finland.
Insights
Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors face significant long-term mental health issues, with females experiencing worse outcomes. Continuous monitoring and targeted interventions are crucial for these individuals.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Public Health
Background:
- Long-term mental and psychological consequences of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) are understudied.
- Pediatric TBI survivors treated in intensive care may experience significant late-life impacts on mental well-being.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the long-term mental well-being of pediatric TBI survivors.
- To assess behavioral and emotional functioning 11 years post-intensive care TBI.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal follow-up study using a nationwide cohort from an intensive care unit registry.
- Employed Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment questionnaires for behavioral and emotional assessment.
- Collected data on chronic diseases, therapy needs, medication, and socioeconomic status.
Main Results:
- 16% of pediatric TBI survivors had non-normal behavioral/emotional scores 11 years post-injury.
- Higher prevalence of psychiatric diagnoses, therapy, healthcare visits, medication, and chronic diagnoses in those with non-normal scores.
- Female sex was independently associated with poorer mental health outcomes (OR 2.7).
Conclusions:
- Pediatric TBI survivors face substantial long-term mental health challenges.
- Females are particularly vulnerable, exhibiting worse outcomes in anxiety, depression, withdrawal, thought problems, and externalizing behaviors.
- Highlights the need for targeted mental health interventions and lifelong monitoring for pediatric TBI patients.
Background:
The long-term mental and psychological sequelae of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) are poorly studied, despite the potential for significant late-life impacts. This study investigates the long-term mental well-being of a national patient population of pediatric TBI survivors treated in intensive care.
Methods:
This longitudinal follow-up study was conducted using a nationwide cohort based on a national intensive care unit registry and questionnaire survey. We used the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment questionnaires to assess behavioral and emotional functioning 11 years after pediatric TBI treated in an intensive care unit. Additional questions addressed chronic diseases, need for therapy and medication, and socioeconomic status.
Results:
There were 146 out of 337 (43%) responders to the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment questionnaire. Out of the patients 24 (16%) had non-normal (clinical or borderline total score) scores. Psychiatric diagnoses (21% vs 3%, P = 0.008), need for therapy (33% vs 10%, P = 0.007), need for health care visits (96% vs 62%, P = 0.003), need for medication (58% vs 26%, P = 0.003), and chronic diagnoses (58% vs 31%, P = 0.020) were more prevalent in those with non-normal scores compared to those with normal scores. The proportion of females was higher among those with non-normal scores (63% vs 38%, P = 0.010). Females scored worse than males in several scales as follows: anxiety and depression (21% vs 8%, P = 0.025); withdrawal (18% vs 3%, P = 0.006); thought problems (23% vs 7%, P = 0.007); and externalizing behaviors (19% vs 7%, P = 0.032). Female sex was independently associated with one or more clinical or borderline (non-normal) scales in the Adult Self-Report or Youth Self-Report questionnaires (odds ratio 2.7; 95% confidence interval 1.2-6.2; P = 0.021) while injury severity or parental working status were not.
Conclusions:
The study highlights significant long-term mental health challenges in pediatric TBI survivors, particularly among females. These findings underscore the need for targeted mental health interventions and continuous monitoring of pediatric TBI patients into adulthood.
