History of pediatric TBI hospitalization and current child-parent relationship quality in China

BackgroundLong-term child-parent relationship quality following hospitalization for pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains poorly understood.ObjectiveWe tested whether current child-parent conflict and closeness were related to the children's history of TBI-related experiences and contemporary child/family characteristics.MethodsThe sample included 202 Chinese children (Boys: 60.4%) with a history of hospitalization for TBI. On average, the children were 11.2 years old (SD = 1.59) and sustained TBI at 8.5 years old (SD = 1.6). TBI-related data were obtained from hospital medical records. Parents provided data on child-parent closeness, child-parent conflict, and parental efficacy 2-4 years (M = 2.7, SD = 0.7) after discharge.ResultsForty-nine children (24.3%) had mild TBI, 139 (68.8%) had moderate TBI, and 14 (6.9%) had severe TBI. Surgical intervention occurred among 128 (63.4%) of the 202 children. Contemporaneous child and family characteristics explained 19% of the variance, history of surgery, length of hospitalization, and recovery status explained another 7%, and the interaction between length of hospitalization and parental efficacy explained another 4% in child-parent conflict. Contemporaneous child and family characteristics explained 29% of the variance, and TBI-related variables explained another 2% in child-parent closeness.ConclusionPost-TBI child-parent relationship was more associated with child/family characteristics than with TBI variables. Practitioners and families should be aware of the long-term challenges to child-parent relationship following hospitalization for pediatric TBI.