title: Premorbid emotional and behavioural adjustment in children with mild head injuries.
abstract: This study investigated the hypothesis that children sustaining a mild closed head injury have a higher prevalence of premorbid behavioural problems than children in the general community. The prevalence of emotional and behavioural problems among children with a mild closed head injury was compared with the prevalence of problems in children with a severe closed head injury, children in the general community, and children referred to a psychiatric outpatient clinic. The results showed that the children with a mild head injury did not have significantly more premorbid emotional and behavioural problems than other children in the community. The children with a mild head injury also had significantly fewer emotional and behavioural problems than children referred to a psychiatric outpatient clinic. The results suggest that the common assumption that children with a mild closed head injury have a higher prevalence of premorbid emotional and behavioural problems than other children in the general community may not be correct.
authors.affiliation: Flinders University, South Australia.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pelco
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sawyer
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Duffield
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prior
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kinsella
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D001925:Brain Damage, Chronic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016489:Head Injuries, Closed / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010553:Personality Development