Child- compared with parent-report ratings on psychosocial measures following a mild traumatic brain injury among youth with persistent post-concussion symptoms

Brain Inj. 2021 Apr 16;35(5):574-586. doi: 10.1080/02699052.2021.1889663. Epub 2021 Mar 18.

Abstract

Primary Objective: To compare child- and parent-report ratings on the Health Behavior Inventory, Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-Short Version (anxiety subscale), Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Pediatric Quality of Life InventoryTM among children with persistent post-concussive symptoms following a sports- or recreation-related concussion, overall and by child age and gender.Research Design: Cross-sectional study examining baseline data from a randomized, comparative effectiveness trial.Methods and Procedures: Inter-rater reliability was assessed using two-way random effects model (absolute agreement) intraclass correlations, correlations were examined using Spearman's rho, mean differences were determined using paired t-tests, and agreement was examined using Bland-Altman plots.Main Outcomes and Results: The final analytic sample was 200 parent-child dyads [child Mage = 14.7 (95% CI: 14.5, 15.0)]. Reliability and correlations were modest overall. When considering child age and gender, reliability ranged from poor to excellent (-1.01-0.95) and correlations ranged from weak to strong (-0.64-0.94). Overall, children reported more symptoms but better functioning than parents, and mean differences in scores were greater among females (versus males) and ages 16-18 (versus younger groups).Conclusions: Findings should inform the use and interpretation of psychosocial measures when developing appropriate youth concussion treatment plans.

Keywords: Concussion; anxiety; depression; parent–child agreement; quality of life.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Brain Concussion*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Parents
  • Post-Concussion Syndrome* / diagnosis
  • Quality of Life
  • Reproducibility of Results