title: Depression and health related quality of life in adolescent survivors of a traumatic brain injury: a pilot study.
abstract: Traumatic brain injury is (TBI) a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in youth. Adult survivors of a severe pediatric TBI are vulnerable to global impairments, including greater employment difficulties, poor quality of life (HRQoL) and increased risk of mental health problems. When estimating the health related quality of life in adolescents, the presence of anxiety and depression and the quality of social relationships are important considerations, because adolescents are entrenched in social development during this phase of maturation. The influence of anxiety, depression and loneliness on health related quality of life in adolescent survivors of TBI has not been documented. This pilot study aimed to identify and measure the relationship between anxiety, depression and loneliness and perceived health related quality of life in adolescent survivors of a TBI.
  
  
  METHODS
  mixed method/cohort pilot study (11 adolescents, mild to severe TBI; 9 parents), using self-report and proxy-report measures of anxiety, depression, health related quality of life, loneliness and clinical psychiatric interviews (adolescent only).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Self-reported depression was significantly correlated with self-reported HRQoL (rs [11] = -0.88, p<0.001). Age at injury was significantly correlated with self-reported HRQoL (rs [11] = -0.68, p = 0.02). Self-reported depression predicted self-reported HRQoL (R2 = 0.79, F [1, 10] = 33.48, p<0.001), but age at injury did not (R2 = 0.19, F [1, 10] = 2.09, p = 0.18).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that depression is a predictor of health related quality of life in youth post-TBI. The possibility of using targeted assessment and therapy for depression post-TBI to improve health related quality of life should be explored.
authors.affiliation: School of Behavioural Science, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Psychology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Battista
authors.affiliation: Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Celia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Godfrey
authors.affiliation: Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Soo
authors.affiliation: School of Behavioural Science, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Catroppa
authors.affiliation: School of Behavioural Science, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Psychology, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Vicki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011788:Quality of Life; D017741:Survivors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult