Source
Division of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute, St Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona 85013, USA. george.prigatano@chw.edu
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To determine the validity of parental ratings of their child's overall recovery and social reintegration after pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI).
SETTING:
Primary care hospital/medical center.
PARTICIPANTS:
Ninety-nine children aged 6 to 16 years (80 with TBI and 19 orthopedic trauma controls) evaluated as outpatients.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Parental ratings of overall recovery and social reintegration; neuropsychological test performance.
RESULTS:
Severity of injury correlated with postacute parental ratings of the child's overall recovery (r = -0.498, N = 84, P = .001) and social reintegration (r = -0.507, N = 84, P = .001). A similar correlation was observed between TBI severity and a known "objective" marker of recovery (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-III Coding subtest; r = -0.503, N = 84, P = .001).
CONCLUSIONS:
The present findings support the concurrent validity of parental perspectives of a child's overall recovery and social reintegration after pediatric TBI. Incorporating these views may assist in the rehabilitation of children following brain injury. Parental reasons for judging a child's recovery as "incomplete" may differ as a function of severity of injury.