Peer-reviewed article
Post-Concussive Symptoms and Their Association with Follow-Up Care in a Sample of Young Children with TBI.
Coto J, Cejas I, Smith N, Farias A, Solano JP et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined post-concussive symptoms and follow-up care patterns in 36 young children (ages 2-5) who had experienced traumatic brain injury. Most children had mild injuries from falls, but only 44% of parents sought follow-up care after the emergency department visit. Balance difficulties and drowsiness were the symptoms most associated with parents seeking follow-up care, yet only one-third of families who did follow up consulted a specialist.
Key points
- Only 44.4% of parents sought follow-up care after their child's TBI emergency department visit
- Of those who sought follow-up, only 33.3% consulted a TBI specialist
- Balance difficulties and drowsiness were the strongest predictors of parents seeking follow-up care
- Most injuries (77.8%) were mild and caused by falls
- Families from marginalized racial and ethnic backgrounds are underrepresented in follow-up care
Limitations
The small sample size (n=36) and cross-sectional design without a comparison group limit the ability to establish causal relationships or generalize findings. The study cannot determine why families did not seek follow-up care or what barriers they faced.
Abstract
Background Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of acquired disability in childhood and is associated with post-concussive symptoms (PCS) that may negatively impact recovery and long-term outcomes. Despite the importance of follow-up care after TBI, families from marginalized racial and ethnic backgrounds are less likely to receive follow-up care and rehabilitation. This study examined the association between PCS and follow-up care, as well as the types of follow-up care received, among young, racially and ethnically diverse children with TBI. Methods Data were collected from 36 families of children ages 2-5 years with a confirmed TBI in the past 3-6 months who completed screening procedures as part of a larger study. Parents reported demographic and injury characteristics, PCS, and whether they sought follow-up care after their child's emergency department visit. Regression analyses examined associations between PCS and follow-up care. Results Participants were 55.6% female, with a mean age of 3.60 years (SD = 1.22). Most children sustained mild injuries due to falls (77.8%). Headaches, drowsiness, balance difficulties, feeling slowed down, and behavior changes were individually associated with seeking follow-up care. In a regression model including all significant main effects, balance difficulties (B = 0.46) and drowsiness (B = 0.42) remained significant [F(5,30) = 6.11, p < 0.001]. Only 44.4% of parents sought follow-up care, and 33.3% of them followed up with a TBI specialist. Conclusions Findings highlight low rates of post-injury follow-up and specialty care among young children with TBI, underscoring the need for improved caregiver education and first-line provider training.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Screening and identification of post-concussive symptoms in young children with TBI to understand association with follow-up care-seeking behavior
- Population
- 36 families of children ages 2-5 years with confirmed TBI in the past 3-6 months, racially and ethnically diverse
Key finding
Only 44.4% of parents sought any follow-up care after emergency department visit