Children who struggle with mental health problems have a harder time recovering from a concussion

MONDAY, March 11, 2024 (HealthDay News) — A new study suggests that children who struggle with mental health problems may have a harder time recovering from a concussion.

The results show that these traumatized children have more emotional symptoms after the injury and take longer to fully recover.

In fact, the more diagnosed a child’s mental health is, the worse their emotional symptoms are and the longer it takes them to recover from an injury, researchers report in a recent issue of the journal Sports Health .

“While research has emphasized the negative effects on mental health that persist after an injury and how they can impact development and recovery, it is also very important to consider how these children and adolescents are affected by injuries. The burden they face before, and their pre-existing mental health conditions may impact recovery, said senior researcher Dr. Matthew Grady, a pediatric sports medicine specialist at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

The researchers noted in background notes that concussions are a common childhood injury, and approximately 2 million sports and recreation-related concussions occur each year in the United States.

Researchers said these mild traumatic brain injuries can cause a variety of problems related to brain function, emotions, sleep and vision. It is believed that a child’s physical health before the injury affects their symptoms and recovery time.

To see if the same was true for mental health, researchers analyzed data from more than 3,100 children who had suffered a concussion.

The research team reviewed the children’s medical records to see if they had previously been diagnosed with problems such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, ADHD, bipolar disorder, learning disabilities or other psychological problems.

“We suspected that pre-existing mental health diagnoses would increase the emotional burden on youth following an injury, and we wanted to evaluate how these diagnoses might impact other aspects of injury recovery,” Grady said in a news release. We do.”

Researchers discovered a dose-response relationship between mental health problems and problems recovering from a concussion.

The results showed that children with more diagnosed mental problems experienced more emotional symptoms such as irritability, sadness, and nervousness.

Children with mental health diagnoses are more likely to have vision and balance problems, and take longer to return to exercise and fully recover, the researchers said.

The results showed that boys with long-term injury recovery experienced more emotional turmoil than girls, an interesting finding given that girls are more likely to have a mental health diagnosis overall than boys. More symptoms of injury are experienced.

Doctors should ensure that boys are evaluated and treated for mental health problems at the same level as girls, so that the potential effects of future trauma can be better understood.

“This study shows how important it is for those treating young brain patients to understand their mental health issues and take them into account when guiding their recovery,” said lead researcher Dr. Christina Master, a pediatrician. And the pediatrician said. CHOP Sports Medicine.

more information

U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has more information about concussions in youth.

Source: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, news release, March 7, 2024