This article reports the development of the Life Events and Coping Inventory (LECI), an instrument that assesses the experience of life stress and the use of coping behaviors in 12-14 year old children. Six hundred eighty-one child Ss participated in item generation, item rating, reliability procedures, and validity procedures for the LECI. Indices of life stress were correlated at a statistically significant level (p less than 0.01) with measures of state and trait anxiety, psychosomatic symptoms, depression and a variety of behavior problems. A broad range of coping strategies was evidenced, with strategies that provide distraction from the stress event the most useful. The results are discussed in light of current theoretic literature on stress and well-being.

Despite significant advances in the understanding of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related sequelae, members of the medical community working with adult survivors often do not appreciate the impact of "latent" effects of these injuries. To assess deficits and facilitate intervention, the interactions among the nature of the TBI, the individual's developmental course, and the history of community response must be understood. This case study discusses the lifelong challenges faced by a 56-year-old individual who sustained a TBI at age 5. His case highlights the importance of developmental stage consideration, remote evaluation/intervention, and collaboration with mental health professionals.

Objective: Evaluate postconcussive symptom reporting and recovery. Setting: Public high school. Participants: Unmatched controls (n = 760); students who sustained a sports-related concussion (n = 77); matched controls (gender, grade, sport) (n = 77). Design: Prospective longitudinal cohort study. Outcome measure: Immediate Postconcussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing. Results: At baseline, athletes who went on to sustain concussions were more likely than unmatched controls to be younger (P = .02), male (P = .001), and participate in different sports (P < .0001) such as football (concussed = 52%, unmatched controls = 20%). Differences were also noted regarding a previous history of concussion (P = .045; concussed athletes = 26%; unmatched control athletes = 16%) and lifetime number of concussions (P = .05). At baseline, those whose sustained concussions during the study period were more likely than matched controls to report numbness (P = .01) and concentration problems (P = .01) and more likely than unmatched controls to report dizziness (P = .02), sensitivity to light (P = .01), sensitivity to noise (P = .002), and numbness (P = .02). However, when data were reanalyzed and those with a previous history of concussion were removed, differences between those who sustained concussions during the study period and matched controls were no longer significant; when compared to unmatched controls, sensitivity to light (P = .01) and vision problems (P = .04) remained significant. Among those who sustained concussions, median time to recovery was 6 days (95% confidence interval: 4-9), and 71 out of 77 (92%) recovered by the fourth postinjury evaluation (median: 20 days postinjury). Conclusions: Course and time frame of recovery were variable. Data also suggest that a previous history of concussion may be contributing to baseline symptom reporting and highlight the potential enduring impact of history of concussion on sensorimotor function. However, further research as to whether preinjury measures of sensorimotor function may increase understanding regarding concussion risk is warranted.