Parents and teachers reporting on a child’s emotional and behavioural problems following severe traumatic brain injury (TBI): The moderating effect of time

Abstract

Background: Gathering information from parents and teachers following paediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) has substantial clinical value for diagnostic decisions. Yet, a multi-informant approach has rarely been addressed when evaluating children at the chronic stage post-injury. In the current study, the goals were to examine (1) differences between parents’ and teachers’ reports on a child’s emotional and behavioural problems and (2) the effect of time elapsed since injury on each rater’s report.

Methods: A sample of 42 parents and 42 teachers of children following severe TBI completed two standard rating scales. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine whether time elapsed since injury reliably distinguished children falling above and below clinical levels.

Results: Emotional–behavioural scores of children following severe TBI fell within normal range, according to both teachers and parents. Significant differences were found between parents’ reports relatively close to the time of injury and 2 years post-injury. However, no such differences were observed in teachers’ ratings.

Conclusions: Parents and teachers of children following severe TBI differ in their reports on a child’s emotional and behavioural problems. The present study not only underscores the importance of multiple informants, but also highlights, for the first time, the possibility that informants’ perceptions may vary across time.

• Assessment
• behaviour
• caregiver
• paediatric
• traumatic brain injury

Acknowledgements

We thank the families that participated in this study, the research assistant Adi Zakay, MA, for data entering and to the professional team at the Neuropsychological Unit at the Pediatric Rehabilitation Department, the Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital, for the proficient data collection along the years. Finally, we thank S. Barak, PhD, for assistance with the data analysis as well as J. Ahonniska-Assa, E. Shadmi, PhD, and T. Krasovsky, PhD, for the helpful comments and advice which contributed to the manuscript.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.