Citation

Woodrome SE, Yeates KO, Taylor HG, Rusin J, Bangert B, Dietrich A, Nuss K, Wright M. J. Int. Neuropsychol. Soc. 2011; 17(2): 317-326.

Affiliation

1Department of Neuropsychology, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Cambridge University Press)

DOI

10.1017/S1355617710001700

PMID

21241531

PMCID

PMC3221318

Abstract

This study examined whether children's coping strategies are related to post-concussive symptoms following mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) versus orthopedic injury (OI). Participants were 8- to 15-year-old children with mild TBI (n = 167) or OI (n = 84). They rated their current preferred coping strategies and post-injury symptoms at 2 weeks (baseline) and 1, 3, and 12 months post-injury. Children's reported use of coping strategies did not vary significantly over time, so their baseline coping ratings were examined as predictors of post-concussive symptoms across time. Self-ratings of symptoms were positively related to emotion-focused strategies and negatively related to problem-focused engagement after both mild TBI and OI. Higher problem-focused disengagement predicted larger group differences in children's ratings of symptoms, suggesting that problem-focused disengagement moderates the effects of mild TBI. Coping strategies collectively accounted for approximately 10-15% of the variance in children's post-concussive symptoms over time. The findings suggest that coping may play an important role in accounting for children's perceptions of post-concussive symptoms after mild TBI.

Language: en