Behaviour outcomes three months after mild TBI in preschool children

ABSTRACT

This study examined parents’ report of behaviour in preschoolers after a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), compared the proportion of preschoolers with elevated behaviour ratings between the mTBI and limb injury (LI) groups, and explored injury, premorbid child, and parent variables that may be associated with parents’ report of behaviour at three months post-injury. Children aged 2–5 years with a mTBI (n = 13) or mild LI (n = 6) were recruited from the emergency department. Behaviour was assessed using the Child Behaviour Checklist. Preliminary findings showed that post-injury behaviour ratings remained in the normal range. The mTBI group had higher scores than the LI group at three months post-injury in terms of sleep; however, this may have been pre-existing. Two children with mTBI received borderline-clinically significant ratings on diagnostic-level anxiety problems at the three-month follow-up, while none of the limb-injured controls obtained elevated behaviour ratings. Parent-rated post-injury behaviour was significantly associated with premorbid child functioning and parental stress, which needs to be explored in greater detail using larger preschool mTBI samples.

KEYWORDS:

• Preschool
• behaviour problems
• internalizing
• externalizing
• mild TBI

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the parent–child dyads who volunteered their time to the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Funding was not secured for this study. The authors would like to acknowledge the support from the following: Melbourne Research Scholarship available through the University of Melbourne; Senior Practitioner Fellowship (2015-2019; ID: APP1079478) and Investigator Award (2022-2026; ID: 2008488) from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council; and Victorian Government Operational Infrastructure Fund, which was not received by any of the authors directly. These agencies were not involved at any stage of the study, and the authors alone are responsible for the conceptualization of the study and preparation of the manuscript.