Brief report: Parental report of sleep behaviors following moderate or severe pediatric traumatic brain injury

Objective Determine the effect of moderate and severe traumatic brain injuries (TBI) on the sleep of school-aged children. Methods A concurrent cohort-prospective design compared children aged 6-12 years who sustained moderate TBI (baseline n = 56), severe TBI (n = 53), or only orthopedic injuries (n = 80). Retrospective parental report of pre-injury sleep was collected about 3 weeks post-injury. Post-injury assessments occurred prospectively a mean of 6, 12, and 48 months later. Results Growth curve analyses compared the groups over time. The moderate TBI group had worse pre-injury sleep than the other groups. The moderate TBI and orthopedic injury groups displayed a small decline in sleep problems from pre- to post-injury. Children with severe TBI displayed increased post-injury sleep problems. Conclusions Children who sustain severe TBI are at elevated risk for post-injury sleep problems. Because sleep problems may result in daytime impairments and family distress, additional clinical and research attention is warranted.