"A simple bang on the
head can alter a child's relationship with their parents claim academics," the
Daily Mail reports.
A Canadian study found
children who had experienced even a mild traumatic head injury, may have
developed changes to their mood and behaviour.
Mild head injuries are common in younger children and may
carry a risk to their developing brains. The study team were concerned that the
psychological effects of head injuries may be underestimated.
The study aimed to
assess the social and developmental effects of a mild head injury on 47 young
children aged under five years. The group was compared to groups of children
who'd had an orthopaedic injury (e.g. a fractured bone) or no injury.
Six months after the
injury, researchers observed the child and their parents during 45 minutes of
play or other activities, and rated the interactions among the head injury group
as significantly poorer than the no injury group. There were no differences from
the orthopaedic group.
There are several
limitations to this study, including lack of observation prior to the accident
to compare against. We also do not know whether these score differences have any
meaningful implications for the child's long-term development, particularly
given that the parent's reported no change in their interactions with their
child.
Parents should not be
overly concerned by these findings. However, they know their child best and if
they think a head injury could be having longer-term effects on their child,
they should seek medical advice.
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