Summary: Boys who show inattention and hyperactivity around age 10 are at higher risk for traumatic brain injury (TBI) in adolescence and adulthood.
Source: McGill University
Overview
McGill-led research has found that boys identified by teachers as exhibiting inattention‑hyperactivity at age 10 face an increased risk of sustaining traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) later in life. The study suggests that effective treatments and preventive strategies to reduce these childhood behaviours could lower the likelihood of TBIs in adolescence and adulthood.
“Traumatic brain injuries are a leading cause of death and disability among children and young adults, yet the factors that increase risk are not well understood,” says Guido Guberman, a doctoral and medical student in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery at McGill University. This study, published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, is among the first to show that teacher‑rated inattention and hyperactivity in childhood predict later TBIs. It also found that boys who sustain a TBI in childhood are more likely to experience another TBI during adolescence.
The study used long‑term, prospective data collected from several hundred Canadian males followed from childhood into adulthood. Researchers examined health records for documented TBIs, collected parent‑reported family and sociodemographic information when participants were age six, and used teacher questionnaires to measure classroom behaviour at age 10. Logistic regression models then assessed whether early behaviours predicted TBIs in two periods: adolescence (ages 11–17) and adulthood (ages 18–34), while accounting for previous TBIs and family social status.
Key findings
- Teacher‑rated inattention and hyperactivity at age 10 predicted TBIs sustained between ages 11 and 17 and also predicted TBIs between ages 18 and 34.
- Externalizing behaviours more broadly at age 10 predicted TBIs in adulthood (ages 18–34).
- A prior TBI in childhood strongly increased the risk of another TBI during adolescence.
- Family social status did not predict TBIs in the statistical models used in this study.
“To reduce suffering and long‑term disability, prevention strategies are needed,” Guberman explains. “For example, promoting cyclist safety and other injury‑prevention measures could help. There are evidence‑based treatments that reduce the severity of childhood inattention‑hyperactivity and other behavioural problems. Our results indicate the value of trials to determine whether these interventions also reduce the risk of later TBIs.”
Source:
McGill University
Media contact:
Shirley Cardenas – McGill University
Image source:
Public domain
Original research article
Title: “A Prospective Study of Childhood Predictors of Traumatic Brain Injuries Sustained in Adolescence and Adulthood” by Guido Guberman et al.
Published in: Canadian Journal of Psychiatry
DOI: 10.1177/0706743719882171
Abstract (condensed)
Objective:
Traumatic brain injuries affect a substantial proportion of males in the general population and can lead to mental health, cognitive, and physical difficulties. This study aimed to determine whether teacher‑rated inattention–hyperactivity and other externalizing behaviours at age 10 predict TBIs sustained later in adolescence and adulthood, after accounting for prior TBIs and family social status.
Method:
A longitudinal cohort of several hundred Canadian males was followed prospectively from early childhood into adulthood. TBI diagnoses were extracted from health records. Parents provided sociodemographic and family information at age six, and teachers completed behaviour questionnaires when participants were age 10. Separate logistic regression models predicted TBIs for ages 11–17 and ages 18–34, adjusting for prior TBIs and family social status, and testing inattention–hyperactivity and externalizing problems as predictors.
Results:
Teacher‑rated inattention–hyperactivity at age 10 significantly predicted TBIs during adolescence and again in adulthood. Externalizing problems at age 10 predicted TBIs in adulthood. Prior childhood TBI substantially increased the risk of a subsequent adolescent TBI. Family social status did not emerge as a significant predictor in these models.
Conclusions:
Among males in this cohort, interventions that reduce childhood inattention–hyperactivity and externalizing behaviours might also lower the risk of later TBIs. Additionally, boys who sustain a TBI in childhood should be monitored and supported to reduce the risk of recurrent injury in adolescence. Further research and clinical trials are needed to test whether behavioural treatments and prevention programs can decrease TBI incidence over the life course.