Children and young adults in a prolonged unconscious state after severe brain injury: Long-term functional outcome as measured by the DRS and the GOSE after early intensive neurorehabilitation

Improving participation is an important aim in outpatient rehabilitation treatment. Knowledge regarding participation restrictions in children and young adults with acquired brain injury (ABI) is scarce and little is known regarding the differences in perspectives between patients and parents in the outpatient rehabilitation setting. The aims are to describe participation restrictions among children/young adults (5–24 years) with ABI and investigating differences between patients’ and parents’ perspectives. At admission in 10 rehabilitation centers, patients and parents were asked to complete the Child and Adolescent Scale of Participation (CASP; score 0–100; lower score = more restrictions) and injury/patient/family-related questions. CASP scores were categorized (full/somewhat-limited/limited/very-limited participation). Patient/parent-reported outcomes were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. 223 patients and 245 parents participated (209 paired-samples). Median patients’ age was 14 years (IQR; 11–16), 135 were female (52%), 195 had traumatic brain injury (75%). The median CASP score reported by patients was 82.5 (IQR: 67.5–90) and by parents 91.3 (IQR: 80.0–97.5) (difference = p < 0.05). The score of 58 patients (26%) and 25 parents (10%) was classified as ‘very-limited’. Twenty-six percent of children and young adults referred for rehabilitation after ABI had “very-limited” participation. Overall, parents rated their child’s participation better than patients themselves. Quantifying participation restrictions after ABI and considering both perspectives is important for outpatient rehabilitation treatment.

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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in children and young adults is associated with increased long-term mortality

Journal of Hepatology ◽

10.1016/j.jhep.2021.06.034 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tracey G. Simon ◽

Bjorn Roelstraete ◽

Kayla Hartjes ◽

Uzma Shah ◽

Hamed Khalili ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Liver Disease ◽

Fatty Liver ◽

Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Alcoholic Fatty Liver ◽

Children And Young Adults ◽

Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ◽

Long Term Mortality

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You Only Get One Brain: Adult Reflections on the Long-Term Impacts of Traumatic Brain Injury in Adolescence

Brain Impairment ◽

10.1017/brimp.2021.22 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-18

Author(s):

Therese Mulligan ◽

Suzanne Barker-Collo ◽

Kerry Gibson ◽

Kelly Jones

Keyword(s):

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Young Adults ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Social Identity ◽

Developmental Stage ◽

Thematic Analysis ◽

Individual Interviews ◽

Career Opportunities ◽

Perceived Impact

Abstract Background: This research adds to scarce literature regarding adolescent experiences of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Retrospective accounts of young adults who had sustained a TBI in adolescence were analysed to explore the perceived impact this had on their lives and forming identities during this important developmental stage. Methods: Thirteen adults (aged 20–25 years; mean 23 years) who sustained a mild or moderate TBI during adolescence (i.e. aged 13–17 years at injury), approximately 7.7 years (range = 6.7–8.0 years) prior, participated in the research. Semi-structured individual interviews, analysed using thematic analysis, explored participants’ experiences following their TBIs. Results: Thematic analysis of interview data produced two categories of themes: (1) Impacts on Important Areas of Life, which included: schoolwork suffered, career opportunities became limited, struggling with work and missing out socially; and (2) Impacts on Identity: with themes including feeling ‘stupid’, feeling self-conscious, loss of social identity and being dependent. Conclusions: TBI sustained during adolescence can have broad impacts on important areas of life and on developing identity.

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