Health-Related Quality of Life of Colombian children and adolescents with mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Little is known about the impact of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) on the functioning of children in Latin America, especially regarding a broad construct called health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The objective of this study was to explore the effects of mild TBI on the HRQoL of Colombian children and adolescents, considering possible cognitive and behavioral sequelae derived from TBI. A case-control study was conducted in which 30 children and adolescents with mild TBI and their parents and a group of 30 healthy subjects participated. The results show that participants with mild TBI have an HRQoL similar to the general population of the same age and sex. They report a lower HRQoL than their parents in the Autonomy and Parents dimension. At the cognitive level, the group with mild TBI has a lower processing speed and less work done in selective and sustained attention tasks; at the behavioral level, they exhibit more symptoms of anxiety, depression, withdrawal and social problems.