Despite preventative measures, traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains the leading cause of death and disability in children. Minimal data exists comprehensively studying the incidence, demographics, and contextual factors that affect recovery. Major questions exist regarding the impact of post-injury disruptive behavioral disorders (DBD), which include attention deficit- hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and conduct disorder (CD). Recent evidence suggests that family and neighborhood context play an important role in recovery after TBI; however, this process is poorly understood. Studies have found an association between family functioning and outcomes following TBI but have not completely explained the relationship or determined if impaired family functioning precedes poor TBI outcomes. Neighborhood contexts are hypothesized to affect social conditions and opportunities, affecting recovery. Conversely, neighborhood concentration of poverty is negatively associated with health, including behavioral related sequelae such as ODD and CD. The proposed study is planned to provide an exploration of the contexts in which injuries take place in order to develop a more sophisticated, comprehensive framework to address the needs of children who have survived TBI. Using existing data from The Approaches and Decisions in Acute Pediatric TBI (ADAPT) Trial (target enrollment = 1,000), we will determine the incidence of DBD?s, which children are at risk for developing DBD?s, the impact of family, and the influence of service availability and neighborhood context.
The aims of the proposal are to: 1) Conduct focus groups with community stakeholders to identify neighborhood level covariates. 2) Describe the epidemiology of DBD following TBI, and 3) Determine the relationship between family functioning and neighborhood factors on risk for DBD of children following TBI. The overarching goal of this R21 is two-fold: 1) to gain information on this important, understudied process, and 2) to develop this multidisciplinary group including community partners and stakeholders. This will allow us to submit a larger R01 to build upon the proposed work by more finely assessing DBD outcomes and measuring neighborhood influence.

Public Health Relevance

The aim of this study is to advance our understanding of TBI consequences on disruptive behavioral disorders in children and caregivers by describing the incidence, associated risk and contextual factors for these disorders. We will assess outcome of TBI, behavioral changes, and family and neighborhood factors at one year post-injury using a large cohort of children who experienced a severe TBI. Additionally, we will engage key stakeholders to identify neighborhood level covariates.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21)
Project #
1R21NS099546-01
Application #
9223010
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-PSE-W (90)S)
Program Officer
Bellgowan, Patrick S F
Project Start
2017-01-15
Project End
2018-12-31
Budget Start
2017-01-15
Budget End
2017-12-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2017
Total Cost
$230,862
Indirect Cost
$80,862
Name
University of Pittsburgh
Department
Public Health & Prev Medicine
Type
Schools of Public Health
DUNS #
004514360
City
Pittsburgh
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
15213