Parent-child interaction after mild traumatic injury in preschoolers

Background This exploratory study sought to describe parent-child interaction after a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) or mild limb injury (LI), and to examine the relationship between the quality of interactions and child/parent characteristics (e.g. developmental status, pre-injury behaviour, parental stress), post-concussive symptoms (PCS), and post-injury behaviour.Methods Children aged 2-5 years and their parents were recruited from the emergency department (ED). Nine child-parent dyads (mTBI n = 6, LI n = 3) agreed to participate in the direct observation of parent-child interaction at 1 week post-injury. PCS were assessed during ED presentation, at 1 month, and 3 months post-injury, and post-injury behaviour was assessed at the 3-month follow-up.Results Parent-child interaction was suboptimal for most of the dyads at 1 week following a mild traumatic injury in preschoolers. The quality of interaction was positively related to the child's developmental status, and negatively related to parental stress, acute PCS, and pre- and post-injury behaviour.Conclusions Further research is needed to expound on parent-child interactions post-mTBI and to determine their predictive utility for parent-rated child outcomes. Both parent and child aspects of the interaction may provide useful information regarding potential avenues for clinical intervention post-injury. Preschool children are heavily reliant on their parents to report on their symptoms after a mild traumatic brain injury. Little is currently known regarding what may impact parental reports, and this study found that the quality of parent-child interaction is linked with parents' ratings of child behaviour and post-concussive symptoms. The quality of parent-child interaction may provide important information when assessing recovery and possible avenues for intervention post-injury.