Kids who get a concussion may be more likely to develop mental health issues

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-03-08 03:00

International

Kids who experience a concussion may be at an increased risk of mental health issues, psychiatric hospitalisation, and self-harm, according to Canadian research. The study compared outcomes in kids aged 5 to 18 years who had a concussion compared with those who had an orthopedic injury, such as a broken arm. Kids who experienced a concussion were more likely to develop a mental health issue, self-harm, and be hospitalised for a psychiatric condition. The researchers say that doctors should assess patients’ mental health during concussion follow up visits and that more research should be done to look at ways to reduce the risks of later mental health disorders among patients with concussions.

Media release

From: JAMA

Risk of Mental Health Problems in Children, Teens Following Concussion

JAMA Network Open
Original Investigation

Risk of Mental Health Problems in Children and Youths Following Concussion

JAMA Network Open
Invited Commentary

Contextual Considerations for the Increased Risk of Mental Health Problems Following Concussion in Youth

JAMA Network Open

About JAMA Network Open: JAMA Network Open is the new online-only open access general medical journal from the JAMA Network. On weekdays, the journal publishes peer-reviewed clinical research and commentary in more than 40 medical and health subject areas. Every article is free online from the day of publication.

What The Study Did: Sustaining a concussion was associated with an increased risk of mental health issues, psychiatric hospitalization and self-harm compared to experiencing an orthopedic injury in this study of 448,000 children ages 5 to 18.

Authors: Andree-Anne Ledoux, Ph.D., of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, is the corresponding author.

(doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.1235)

Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Canada

Funder: This study was supported by ICES, which is funded by an annual grant from the Ontario Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Long-term Care. Parts of this material are based on data or information compiled and provided by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).

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