Diagnosis Of Acquired Brain Injury Research Articles

An Investigation of the Validity of the Edinburgh Social Cognition Test (ESCoT) in Acquired Brain Injury (ABI).

Social cognition is frequently impaired following an acquired brain injury (ABI) but often overlooked in clinical assessments. There are few validated and appropriate measures of social cognitive abilities for ABI patients. The current study examined the validity of the Edinburgh Social Cognition Test (ESCoT, Baksh et al., ) in measuring social cognition following an ABI. Forty-one patients with ABI were recruited from a rehabilitation service and completed measures of general ability, executive functions and social cognition (Faux Pas; FP, Reading the Mind in the Eyes; RME, Social Norms Questionnaire; SNQ and the ESCoT). Forty-one controls matched on age, sex and years of education also performed the RME, SNQ and ESCoT. A diagnosis of ABI was significantly associated with poorer performance on all ESCoT measures and RME while adjusting for age, sex and years of education. In ABI patients, the ESCoT showed good internal consistency with its subcomponents and performance correlated with the other measures of social cognition demonstrating convergent validity. Better Trail Making Test performance predicted better ESCoT total, RME and SNQ scores. Higher TOPF IQ was associated with higher RME scores, while higher WAIS-IV working memory predicted better FP performance. The ESCoT is a brief, valid and internally consistent assessment tool able to detect social cognition deficits in neurological patients. Given the prevalence of social cognition deficits in ABI and the marked impact these can have on an individual's recovery, this assessment can be a helpful addition to a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment.

‘I am not drunk, I have an ABI’: findings from a qualitative study into systematic challenges in responding to people with acquired brain injuries in the justice system

The over-representation of acquired brain injury (ABI) amongst prisoner and juvenile justice populations is a significant issue across jurisdictions. This article reports on the findings of over 100 interviews conducted in Victoria, Australia with people who have an ABI, as well as key stakeholder groups who work in, or with, the justice system. The study identified systemic problems faced by people with ABI along multiple points of the justice system continuum. Improved identification and diagnosis of ABI, well-resourced support for those with the condition, comprehensive training to improve ABI literacy among all stakeholder groups, and a more appropriate and therapeutic approach to people with ABI in the justice system are all recommended.

Incidence and mortality of acquired brain injury in young Danish adults between 1994 and 2013: a nationwide study

ABSTRACTBackground: We estimated the annually incidence and mortality of acquired brain injury (ABI) in people aged 15–30 years during 1994–2013.Methods: All Danes with a first-ever hospital diagnosis of ABI, including traumatic brain injury (TBI), encephalopathy, CNS-infection or brain tumour, were identified in the Danish National Patient Register. Incidence rates (IRs) and estimated annual percentage changes (EAPC) were estimated by Poisson regression. Mortality was estimated by the Kaplan–Meier estimator and adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) were computed using Cox regression with 1994–1998.Results: A total of 10,542 individuals were hospitalized with a first-time diagnosis of ABI. The IR for ABI decreased from 63.36 to 33.91/100,000 person-years from 1994 to 2013 [EAPC: −2.78% (95% CI: −3.26 to −2.28)] mainly driven by a decreasing IR of TBI [EAPC: −6.53% (95% CI: –9.57 to –3.39)] during 2007–2013. IRs of brain tumour and CNS infections also decreased significantly. The mortality after ABI tended to be higher during 1999–2013 compared to 1994–1998. For brain tumour, the 1-year mortality decreased significantly [2009–2013 aHR: 0.41 (95% CI: 0.23–0.72)].Conclusion: Incidence of hospitalisations for ABI and in particular TBI has decreased significantly. Overall, the mortality after ABI has not improved, but the mortality after brain tumour has decreased significantly.

Parenting program versus telephone support for Mexican parents of children with acquired brain injury: A blind randomized controlled trial.

IntroductionAcquired brain injury (ABI) during childhood typically causes behavior problems in the child and high levels of stress in the family. The aims of this study are: (1) to investigate the effectiveness and feasibility of a parenting intervention in improving behavior and self-regulation in Mexican children with ABI compared to telephone support; (2) to investigate the effectiveness and feasibility of a parenting intervention in improving parenting skills, parent self-efficacy and decreasing parental stress in parents of children with ABI compared to telephone support. Our secondary aims are (1) to explore the impact that parent characteristics have on the intervention outcomes; (2) to investigate if changes are maintained 3 months after the intervention.MethodsThe research design is a blind randomized controlled trial (RCT). Eligible participants include children with a diagnosis of ABI, between 6 and 12 years of age, and their parents. Sixty-six children and their parents will be randomly allocated to either a parenting program group or telephone support group. The parenting program involves six face-to-face weekly group sessions of 2.5 h each. Participants in the control group receive an information sheet with behavioral strategies, and six weekly phone calls, in which strategies to improve academic skills are provided. Children and their parents are evaluated by blind assessors before the intervention, immediately after the intervention and 3-months post-intervention.DiscussionThis study will be the first to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of a parenting program for Mexican parents of children with ABI.Trial identifierACTRN12617000360314.

Gender and Transition From Pediatric to Adult Health Care Among Youth With Acquired Brain Injury: Experiences in a Transition Model

ObjectiveTo explore gender and sex differences in experiences of transitioning to adult health care among young adults with acquired brain injury (ABI) who take part in a coordinated model of transitional care. DesignDescriptive design using in-depth semistructured qualitative interviews. SettingInterviews over the phone and in person. ParticipantsParticipants (N=18) included 10 young adults with a diagnosis of ABI (4 women, 6 men; age range, 19–21y) and 9 parents (8 women, 1 man) from the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. InterventionsNot applicable. Main Outcome MeasureSemistructured interviews with participants. ResultsOur findings highlight several commonalities and differences relative to sex and gender among young adults with ABI who are transitioning from pediatric to adult care. Both young adult men and women experienced a similar transition process and similar organization, continuity, and availability of care. Sex differences were found in relational factors (eg, communication, family involvement, social support). Young adult men, and parents of the men, differed in their transition regarding relational factors (eg, communication, family involvement). ConclusionsOur findings show that young adult men and women with ABI who have taken part in a transition preparation program experience similarities in organization, continuity, and availability of care, but they experience differences in relational factors (eg, communication, family involvement).