Brain injury raises mood risk
A JAMA Network Open summary reports that school-age children and adolescents with medically diagnosed traumatic brain injury show higher rates of anxiety and depression. The write-up notes family support and resilience appear to buffer some of that increased risk and recommends adding recent TBI history to behavioural risk reviews. (news-medical.net)
A traumatic brain injury in childhood can leave more than a short-term concussion: a new study linked diagnosed injuries to higher rates of anxiety and depression. (nationwidechildrens.org) Researchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Ohio State University, and the University of Washington analyzed United States data on children and teens ages 6 to 17. The paper was published April 13, 2026, in *JAMA Network Open*. (jamanetwork.com, nationwidechildrens.org) The study examined medically diagnosed traumatic brain injury, which means a doctor had identified an injury caused by a bump, blow, or jolt that disrupts normal brain function. The researchers also looked at current anxiety, depression, frequent headaches, chronic pain, and overall health. (cdc.gov, jamanetwork.com) They found that children with traumatic brain injury had higher prevalence of poor health than peers without injury, plus increased odds of current anxiety, frequent headaches, and chronic pain. The study summary also reported that family resilience was linked to lower odds of depression after injury. (nationwidechildrens.org, eurekalert.org) That fits into a larger pediatric pattern: mental health problems in children have been rising in recent years, with national survey data showing anxiety and depression increased from 2016 to 2022. A brain injury can add another risk factor into an already strained system. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, luriechildrens.org) Traumatic brain injury is already a major pediatric health issue in the United States. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report to Congress estimated about 640,000 traumatic brain injury-related emergency department visits, 18,000 hospitalizations, and 1,500 deaths among children age 14 and younger in 2013. (cdc.gov) Sports injuries are one visible slice of that burden, but not the whole picture. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported roughly 283,000 emergency department visits a year among children for sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries during 2010 to 2016. (cdc.gov, cdc.gov) Henry Xiang of Nationwide Children’s, the study’s senior author, said the findings support routine mental health screening and long-term follow-up after pediatric brain injury. The researchers also said recent traumatic brain injury history should be considered when clinicians review behavior or mood changes. (nationwidechildrens.org, news-medical.net) Christine Koterba, a pediatric neuropsychologist at Nationwide Children’s who was not involved in the study, said recovery “happens in many contexts” and pointed to caregivers as a key part of that process. The paper’s bottom line is that after a child’s head injury, the follow-up visit may need to ask about mood as well as headaches. (nationwidechildrens.org)
