title: Health-related quality of life and psychosocial consequences after mild traumatic brain injury in children and adolescents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little is known about the course of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and functional outcome parameters in children and adolescents with TBI. In addition, a neuropsychological screening instrument would be useful for routine clinical care.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe health-related quality of life and psychosocial consequences following mild traumatic brain injury (TBI).
  
  
  METHODS
  One chose a prospective, longitudinal design (two measurement time points). Methods included a telephone interview and a questionnaire, which was mailed to the parents whose children (older than 4 years of age) were admitted (with TBI) to a collaborating hospital. In addition, a feasibility study for screening children for cognitive side effects, attention and memory tasks was conducted. A group of 59 parents filled out questionnaires assessing health-related quality of life (KINDL), behavioural problems (SDQ) and health status (FS-II-R). Ten families participated in the feasibility study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results indicated that HRQOL, behavioural problems and health status remained stable over time. Compared to the reference groups, no significant differences in HRQOL were noted. Thirty per cent of the children screened were classified as being cognitively impaired.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mild TBI resulted in no decline in the children's health outcome after injury. The cognitive screening approach proved itself to be a useful instrument for routine clinical care.
authors.affiliation: Institute and Policlinics of Medical Psychology, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. copeters@uke.uni-hamburg.de
authors.forename: Corinna
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scherwath
authors.forename: Juliane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fink
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Koch
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000517:prevention & control; D000293:Adolescent; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015588:Observer Variation; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices