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Murine Model of Controlled Cortical Impact for the Induction of Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: August 16, 2019
Traumatic brain injury in children and adolescents: psychiatric disorders at one year
J E Max1, D A Robin, S D Lindgren
1Department of Psychiatry, Speech Pathology and Audiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242, USA.
Insights
Pre-injury factors like family function and injury severity predict new psychiatric disorders in children after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Clinical assessment can identify at-risk youth.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric neurology
- Child and adolescent psychiatry
- Neuropsychology
Background:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can lead to significant psychiatric sequelae in children and adolescents.
- Identifying predictive factors for psychiatric outcomes post-TBI is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively identify factors predicting new-onset psychiatric disorders in the 6 months following TBI in pediatric populations.
- To assess the influence of pre-injury, injury-related, and post-injury factors on psychiatric outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Prospective assessment of 43 children and adolescents following TBI.
- Utilized six predictive models to evaluate various factors.
- Outcome measure: novel psychiatric disorders (those not present pre-TBI).
Main Results:
- Four models were predictive: pre-injury family function, family psychiatric history, socioeconomic class/intellectual function, and behavior/adaptive function.
- Pre-injury family functioning, assessed via structured interview, was a significant predictor.
- Severe TBI significantly predicted novel psychiatric disorders compared to mild/moderate TBI.
Conclusions:
- Pre-injury clinical assessments, including family functioning and history, are vital for predicting psychiatric risk after TBI in children.
- Injury severity is a key factor in the development of new psychiatric disorders.
- Specific pediatric subgroups at higher risk can be identified for targeted support.
Abstract:
Factors predictive of psychiatric outcome in the second 6 months following traumatic brain injury (TBI) in 43 children and adolescents were assessed prospectively. The outcome measure was the presence of a psychiatric disorder not present before the injury ("novel"). Out of six models tested, four were predictive of novel psychiatric disorder: preinjury family function, family psychiatric history, socioeconomic class/intellectual function, and behavior/adaptive function. Post hoc analyses suggested that preinjury family functioning measured by a structured interview was a significant predictive variable. Severity of injury, when reclassified as severe versus mild/moderate TBI, significantly predicted novel psychiatric disorders. These data suggest that some children, identifiable through clinical assessment, are at increased risk for psychiatric disorders following TBI.
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