Abstract
Forty-one children between the ages of 6 and 11 years with a history of a mild closed head injury and 23 age-, gender-, and IQ-matched typically developing control children participated. All of the children in the CHI sample were referred for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan at 3 months post-injury and children in the CHI sample were further divided into MRI-Negative (n = 31) and MRI-Positive (n = 10) conditions according to the MRI results. Parents and teachers completed behavioral checklists at three points, including just prior to the MRI and 6 months post-injury. Prior to the MRI (Time 2), in both samples of children with a CHI, parents reported an increase in externalizing symptoms after the CHI. At 6 months post-injury (Time 3: post-MRI), parents of children in the MRI-Positive group did not report any significant changes in their child's externalizing behaviors when compared with pre-MRI, yet parents of children in the MRI-Negative group reported a further increase in externalizing behaviors. Parent attributions also changed as a function of group membership; whereas no changes were noted in the other two groups, parents of children in the MRI-Negative sample ascribed more controllability at Time 3 when compared with Time 2.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 48-63 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Psychology, Health and Medicine |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2007 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Closed head injury (CHI)
- Externalizing behavior
- Parent attributions
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Psychology
- Applied Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health