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American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition
October 26, 2013
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Risk for depression four times higher among children with brain injury

ORLANDO, Fla. — The prevalence of depression among children in the United States is 3.7%. However, among those with a brain injury or concussion, the prevalence is 15%, according to research presented here at the 2013 AAP National Conference and Exhibition.

Matthew C. Wylie, MD, of pediatric emergency medicine at The Alpert Medical School of Brown University at Rhode Island Hospital, and colleagues said this finding could improve the prognosis of children with a brain injury and may help identify those at high risk for depression.

Using the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, Wylie and colleagues gathered information for 81,936 children aged 0 to 17 years from parent surveys. Those who answered the questions, "has [patient] ever been diagnosed with brain injury or concussion?" and "has [patient] ever been diagnosed with depression?" were included.

The researchers identified 2,034 children with a brain injury, which was in agreement with a 2007 national prevalence of 1.9%. The odds of having diagnosed depression were 4.9 times higher among children with a brain injury compared with those without (P<.001). This was true after adjusting for age, race, ethnicity, family income and structure, maternal mental health, child health and developmental achievement (OR=2.2; 95% CI, 1.8-2.6).

For more information:

Wylie MC. Abstract #19. Presented at: AAP National Conference and Exhibition; Oct. 26-29, 2013; Orlando, Fla.

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.