Demographic and injury-related moderators of memory and achievement outcome in pediatric TBI

Appl Neuropsychol. 2011 Oct;18(4):298-308. doi: 10.1080/09084282.2011.595457.

Abstract

Critical factors affecting traumatic brain injury (TBI) outcome in children and adolescents are explored with an emphasis on an examination of age at injury as a predictor of memory functioning. Age at injury and other injury-related and demographic predictors (i.e., severity, time postinjury, gender, and socioeconomic status [SES]) of memory and achievement outcome were examined in 65 children and adolescents post-TBI compared to 65 age-matched noninjured controls. Although robust findings have been found for age at injury as a general predictor of outcome, age was not found to be a significant predictor of memory functioning following pediatric TBI. Structural equation modeling suggests that the most parsimonious model of post-TBI outcome contains two causally related latent variables: one defined by gender, SES, injury severity, and age at injury, and one defined by general cognitive functioning.

MeSH terms

  • Achievement*
  • Adolescent*
  • Age of Onset
  • Brain Injuries / epidemiology*
  • Brain Injuries / psychology*
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Child*
  • Cognition
  • Demography / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Glasgow Coma Scale / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Memory*
  • Models, Psychological
  • Models, Statistical
  • Neuropsychological Tests / statistics & numerical data
  • Sex Factors
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Time Factors