Je. Max et al., ATTENTION-DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY SYMPTOMATOLOGY AFTER TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 37(8), 1998, pp. 841-847
Objective: To study prospectively the course of attention-deficit hype
ractivity (ADH) symptomatology in children and adolescents after traum
atic brain injury (TBI). It was hypothesized that ADH symptomatology w
ould be significantly related to severity of injury. Method: Subjects
were children (n = 50) aged 6 to 14 years at the time they were hospit
alized after TBI.The study used a prospective follow-up design. Assess
ments of preinjury psychiatric, behavioral, socioeconomic, family func
tioning, and family psychiatric history status were conducted. Severit
y of injury was assessed by standard clinical scales, and neuroimaging
was analyzed. Results: The main finding of this study was that change
in ADH symptomatology in the first 2 years after TBI in children and
adolescents was significantly related to severity of injury. Overall A
DH symptomatology during the study was significantly related to a meas
ure of family dysfunction when family psychiatric history, socioeconom
ic status, and severity of injury were controlled. Conclusion: The pre
sence of a positive ''dose-response'' relationship between severity of
injury and change in ADH symptoms, present from the 3-month assessmen
t, was consistent with an effect directly related to brain damage.