Parental Stress, Depression Can Spike When Children with Brain Injury Develop Secondary ADHD
Research By: Megan Narad, PhD | Shari Wade, PhD
Post Date: August 1, 2022 | Publish Date: Aug. 1, 2022
Rehabilitation Medicine | Top Scientific Achievement
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects more than 500,000 children a year in the United States and often leads to cognitive, behavioral and social deficits. When TBI is combined with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), outcomes can be even more life-disrupting.
A study led by experts at Cincinnati Children’s found profound effects on executive function, social competence and functional impairment among children who had ADHD before their brain injury and among those developing ADHD as a secondary impact of brain injury. However, families of children who developed secondary ADHD, especially after severe TBI, also reported greater levels of parental distress and depression.
The findings reflect parent-reported data for 284 children, ages 11 to 18, who were hospitalized overnight at one of three medical centers for a moderate-severe TBI.
“The finding of greater parental depression and distress in the secondary ADHD group relative to both the pre-
injury ADHD and no ADHD groups was unexpected,” says corresponding author Megan Narad, PhD. “These findings underscore the importance of early identification and management of ADHD symptoms after TBI to mitigate long-term functional issues. The goal should be to intervene early and provide parents with strategies for managing difficult behaviors, and to prevent the cycle of new-onset behavior problems, increased parental distress, increased negative parenting strategies, and worsening of child behavior.”
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| Original title: | The Impact of Preinjury and Secondary Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder on Outcomes After Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury |
| Published in: | Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics |
| Publish date: | Aug. 1, 2022 |
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