Abstract
Objective: To study prospectively the course of attention-deficit hyperactivity (ADH) symptomatology in children and adolescents after traumatic brain injury (TBI). It was hypothesized that ADH symptomatology would be significantly related to severity of injury. Method: Subjects were children (n = 50) aged 6 to 14 years at the time they were hospitalized after TBI. The study used a prospective follow-up design. Assessments of preinjury psychiatric, behavioral, socioeconomic, family functioning, and family psychiatric history status were conducted. Severity of injury was assessed by standard clinical scales, and neuroimaging was analyzed. Results: The main finding of this study was that change in ADH symptomatology in the first 2 years after TBI in children and adolescents was significantly related to severity of injury. Overall ADH symptomatology during the study was significantly related to a measure of family dysfunction when family psychiatric history, socioeconomic status, and severity of injury were controlled. Conclusion: The presence of a positive 'dose-response' relationship between severity of injury and change in ADH symptoms, present from the 3-month assessment, was consistent with an effect directly related to brain damage.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 841-847 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry |
Volume | 37 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 1998 |
Keywords
- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
- Traumatic brain injury
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health