Investigation of children and adolescents’ mood and self-concept after acquired brain injury

Abstract

Few studies have examined the self-reported mental health of children with an acquired brain injury (ABI). The current study aimed to: 1) identify levels of child-reported depressive and anxiety symptoms and poor self-concept, 2) investigate demographic and injury-related factors associated with children's mood and self-concept, and 3) examine associations between children's self-reported mental health and parents' reports of children's emotional and behavioral functioning in children specifically with traumatic brain injury (TBI). 122 children (66% male) aged 8-16 years with ABI of mixed etiology were consecutively recruited through an outpatient rehabilitation clinic. Children were administered the Beck Youth Inventories -Second Edition, and parents completed the Adaptive Behaviour Assessment System and the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL). Relative to the norms, 16.4% of children scored in the clinical range for the depression and anxiety scales, and 24.6% reported clinically low self-concept. Children with lower functional status had greater anxiety symptoms. Older children (13-16 years) reported significantly higher depressive and anxiety symptoms and lower self-concept than younger children (8-12 years). A significant interaction between age and sex indicated that older girls reported greater depressive and anxiety symptoms than younger girls whereas no age-based differences were found for boys.Parent-reported total emotional and behavioral problems were positively associated with children's self-reported depressive and anxiety symptoms and were negatively correlated with self-concept. These findings indicate that adolescents, particularly girls, may be at heightened risk of poor mental health following ABI. Further research investigating the reasons for these demographic differences may inform developmentally sensitive interventions.

As Time Goes by: Understanding Child and Family Factors Shaping Behavioral Outcomes After Traumatic Brain Injury

“…There were no differences in the rate of change over time for girls and boys. This finding is consistent with prior literature suggesting vulnerability of girls after both TBI ( 10 , 69 – 72 ) and the broader category of pediatric acquired brain injury ( 73 ). Similarly, increased internalizing and ADHD symptoms were noted in girls compared to boys when assessed during the first year after injury after accounting for pre-injury ratings ( 5 ).…”

Exploring Children’s Experiences Following Sport-Related Concussions

“…However, lower personal expectations may be the result of changes in self-image and mattering that was described in the current study. These findings support previous research that has found that self-image is impacted in adults (Caplan et al, 2016), adolescents (Snyder, 2019), and children (Hendry et al, 2020;Iadevaia et al, 2015;Todd et al, 2018) post-concussion. Similar to the impact on mattering observed in the current study, Valovich McLeod et al (2017) found that athletes demonstrated significant concern for letting their team and family down, and not being able to fulfill their role as an athlete.…”

Feasibility and Acceptability of a Real-Time Telerehabilitation Intervention for Children and Young Adults with Acquired Brain Injury During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Experience Report

“…Second, patients with ABI are often diagnosed in comorbidity with depression or emotional disorders ( Hendry et al, 2020 ). In the current experience, parents reported that the relationship with the therapist contributed to supporting the child in facing an extremely critical period, with positive effects on mood and energy level.…”