Efficacy of a new parent and school-supported intervention after moderate and severe childhood traumatic brain injury
*Corresponding author: Andrea Palacio Navarro MD. Neurology Department. Hospital Universitari Sant Joan de Déu. Pg. Sant Joan de Déu, 2. E-08950 Esplugues de Llobregat (Barcelona).
E-mail: apalacio@sjdhospitalbarcelona.org
Introduction: Traumatic brain injury is a common cause of acquired disability during childhood. Early interventions focusing on parenting practices may prove effective at reducing negative child outcomes.
Aim: To determine the efficacy of a new counselling program aimed at parents and schools compared to a control group.
Patients and methods: The main study sample was obtained from a paediatric hospital. The final sample consisted of 42 children aged between 6 and 16 years old.
Results: Comparing with normative data, pre-post comparisons between groups showed a significant improvement in the parent group with respect to the control group.
Conclusions: The superiority of the parental intervention group over those of the control group was not only statistically significant, but also clinically substantial and meaningful. The results of this study suggest that children with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury can benefit from an intensive supported family treatment.
Objetivo Determinar la eficacia de un nuevo programa de asesoramiento dirigido a padres y escuelas en comparación con un grupo control.
Pacientes y métodos La muestra principal del estudio se obtuvo de un hospital pediátrico. La muestra final consistió en 42 niños de 6 a 16 años.
Resultados Comparando con los datos normativos, las comparaciones pre y post intragrupos mostraron una mejora significativa en el grupo de intervención parental con respecto al grupo control.
Conclusiones La superioridad del grupo de intervención parental sobre el grupo control no sólo fue estadísticamente significativa, sino también clínicamente sustancial y relevante. Los resultados del estudio sugieren que los niños con traumatismo craneoencefálico moderado o grave pueden beneficiarse de un tratamiento familiar intensivo de apoyo.
