Sibling adjustment to pediatric traumatic brain injury: A case-controlled pilot study

Objective: To assess depressive symptoms, self-concept, and behavior in non-affected siblings of children with severe pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). Design: Cross-sectional study with case controls. Setting: Children's hospital tertiary care center. Participants: Twelve siblings of children consecutively admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation unit after a severe TBI. Case controls were randomly selected from the sibling's classmates. Main Outcome Measures: The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the Teacher's Report Form of the CBCL (TRF-CBCL), the Self-Perception Profile for Children and the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Results: No statistical differences were found in depressive symptoms, self-concept, or behavior between the siblings and their classmates 3 to 18 months after injury: Poorer functional outcomes in the child with a TBI were found to correlate significantly with lower self-concept and more symptoms of depression in the siblings. Conclusions: Further research is needed to evaluate the potential impact on sibling adjustment after pediatric TBI.