• Christine A Hajek, Keith Owen Yeates, Gerry Taylor H H, Barbara Bangert, Ann Dietrich, Kathryn E Nuss, Jerome Rusin, and Martha Wright.
• Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
• Brain Inj. 2010 Feb 1; 24 (2): 100-9.

Primary ObjectiveTo investigate the occurrence of post-concussive symptoms (PCS) and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children following mild traumatic brain injuries (TBI).Research DesignLongitudinal study comparing the outcomes of mild TBI and orthopaedic injuries (OI) in children aged 8-15.Methods And ProceduresOne hundred and eighty-six children with mild TBI and 99 with OI were recruited prospectively. Parents rated children's PCS and symptoms of PTSD at 2 weeks, 3 months and 12 months post-injury. One hundred and sixty-seven with mild TBI and 84 with OI completed all assessments.Main Outcomes And ResultsControlling for symptoms of PTSD, the mild TBI group demonstrated more PCS than the OI group, although the magnitude of group differences diminished with time. Controlling for PCS, the OI group displayed more symptoms of PTSD than the mild TBI group at baseline, but not thereafter. Symptoms of PTSD and PCS were correlated significantly, but more highly in the OI group than the mild TBI group.ConclusionsAlthough PCS and symptoms of PTSD are correlated, children with mild TBI are more distinguishable from children with OI based on PCS than on symptoms of PTSD. The latter symptoms, moreover, do not account for increased PCS following mild TBI in children.

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