Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: A Review of Terminology, Symptomatology, Clinical Considerations and Future Directions

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, with estimates of prevalence varying between 100-1000 per 100,000 [1, 2]. Among these figures, 70-90 % will be classified as mild TBI (mTBI) [2]. While only 10 % of those with a history of mTBI will have any ongoing problems [2], the sheer volume of incidents means that these events represent a majo

A Systematic Review of Anxiety Disorders following Mild, Moderate and Severe TBI in Children and Adolescents

The aim of this chapter is to systematically review the research exploring the relationship between TBI and anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. A literature search was conducted using Google Scholar, Ovid Medline (1946 - Dec 2013), PsycINFO (1806 - Dec 2013), CINAHL plus (1937 - Dec 2013), Cochrane database (2005 – Dec 2013) and Embase (1946 – Dec 2013). The search returned 346 articles, and 11 of these met the inclusion criteria. Anxiety disorders were often found to be a negative outcome following childhood TBI, with a higher incidence of disorders including GAD, ASD, PTSD, PD, OCD, simple/specific phobia, social phobia and SAD found in children following their injury. In most cases, this relationship was strongest for children with severe TBI who sustained their injury at a younger age. Psychosocial adversity was found to be a consistently significant predictor for the likelihood of children developing anxiety following TBI. It is concluded that children who have suffered from a TBI (mild, moderate or severe), are at a higher risk of developing subsequent anxiety disorders, even 1 year following the injury event, and children with more severe injuries, greater psychosocial adversity, and younger age at injury are considered to be the most vulnerable

Anxiety Disorders following Traumatic Brain Injury in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults

This thesis highlighted that individuals with a history of childhood mild, moderate and severe traumatic brain injury have higher rates of ongoing anxiety disorders, that can persist more than 10 years after their injury. These anxiety disorders include general anxiety, panic attacks and specific phobias. In these individuals with childhood traumatic brain injury, factors such as being female, having a more severe head injury, and having difficulties associated with the frontal lobe of the brain, significantly increase the risk of developing anxiety later on in life. This is important for future research regarding outcomes of traumatic brain injury, and highlights the need for treatment and intervention for these individuals