Adult outcomes of childhood traumatic brain injury
2008 Research Project Grant Round
Approved for Funding by CMRF $74,954.00
For a period of 24 months
Start Date: 01 November 2008
Researcher No1: Associate Professor Ranadolph Grace
University of Canterbury
Photo of the research team: Associate Professor Randolph Grace, Dr Audrey McKinley and Mr John Horwood
Absent: Mr Martin McFarlane, Assicate Professor Derek Roger, Professor David Fergusson
Researcher No 2: Dr Audrey McKinley
University of Canterbury
Researcher No 3: Mr John Horwood
University of Canterbury
Researcher No 4: Mr Martin McFarlane
Canterbury District Health Board
Researcher No 5: Associate Professor Derek Roger
University of Canterbury
Researcher No 6: Professor David Fergusson
University of Otago
Adult outcomes of childhood traumatic brain injury
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability and death among children, with approximately 1 in 5 children experiencing a TBI prior to 14 years of age. Traumatic brain injury refers to a blow or jolt to the head that can change the way a person thinks, speaks or acts. Children who experience a TBI are at risk for a number of cognitive, behavioural and emotional problems including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Conduct Disorder, and learning difficulties. As TBI has very few outward signs, children are often sent home from the hospital with minimal interventions and with the expectation that they will make a full recovery. However, this expectation is frequently inaccurate and there is increasing evidence that ongoing adverse outcomes are common, even following a mild TBI (also referred to as concussion).
Further, there is little information regarding how a child who experiences a TBI will develop, how it might affect their adult lives or what social and environmental factors will influence them. Information from the Christchurch Health and Development Study, a birth cohort of 1265 children for whom prospective information has been collected, provides a unique opportunity to examine adult outcomes. These children have been followed for 30 years into adulthood. We will also examine another group of adults who were admitted to Christchurch Hospital with mild, moderate or severe brain injury when they were between 0-14 years of age (between 5-20 years ago).
Advances in medical care have resulted in higher rates of survival for children who experience TBI. However, despite the improvements in survival, rates of neurological, cognitive and behavioural impairments remain high. This research will make valuable contributions to our understanding of the effects of childhood TBI on adult functioning and provide important information about the significance of a TBI as well as child and family characteristics and environmental factors on long term outcomes. This knowledge will greatly assist in accurate planning for early and appropriate intervention to minimise any long term consequence of these injuries.
This research will be conducted by Audrey McKinlay, Randolph Grace and Derek Roger from the University of Canterbury, David Fergusson and John Horwood from University of Otago and Martin MacFarlane (Neurosurgeon) from the Canterbury District Health Board.
