Children With Brain Injuries Nearly Twice as Likely to Suffer from Depression
Adults with head injuries are known to be
at high risk for depression, and yet little research had been done
on the topic related to children.
In the abstract, "Depression in Children Diagnosed with Brain
Injury or Concussion," presented Oct. 25 at the American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando,
researchers sought to identify the prevalence of depression in
children with brain injuries, including concussions, in the
U.S.
Using data from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health,
researchers identified more than 2,000 children with brain
injuries, reflecting the national child brain injury rate of 1.9
percent in 2007; and 3,112 children with diagnosed depression,
mirroring the 3.7 percent national child depression rate that year.
Compared to other children, 15 percent of those with brain injuries
or concussions were diagnosed as depressed -- a 4.9 fold increase
in the odds of diagnosed depression.
"After adjustment for known predictors of depression in children
like family structure, developmental delay and poor physical
health, depression remained two times more likely in children with
brain injury or concussion," said study author Matthew C. Wylie,
MD, author of the abstract, "Depression in Children Diagnosed with
Brain Injury or Concussion."
The study, the largest to look at an association between brain
injury and depression in children and adolescents, "may enable
better prognostication for brain-injured children and facilitate
identification of those at high risk of depression," said Dr.
Wylie.
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