Mood and anxiety symptoms following pediatric mild traumatic brain injury: a scoping review

Background: Thousands of children sustain mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) worldwide each year. Multiple physical and somatic symptoms can occur following pediatric mTBI, including new-onset mood symptoms, headaches, and pain. Objective: This scoping review examined the existing literature pertaining to mood and anxiety symptoms following pediatric mTBI, in order to summarize the current evidence and identify areas for future research. Methods: The Pubmed, EMBase, and APA PsycINFO databases were searched to identify articles that examined mood and anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents following mTBI. Results: A total of 20 published articles were included in the review. The existing research suggests that mood and anxiety symptoms are more common in children and adolescents with mTBI, when compared to orthopedically injured or healthy controls. Several factors may contribute to the development of these symptoms: injury characteristics, older age at injury, female sex, and psychosocial variables including lower socioeconomic status and family history of psychiatric disorders. Conclusion: The findings of this review highlight the need for additional research on the relationship between pediatric mTBI and subsequent mood and anxiety symptoms. We particularly recommend long-term prospective cohort studies which include appropriate control groups as well as a neuroimaging component to distinguish complicated from uncomplicated mTBI.