Background/Purpose: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most common injury leading to hospitalisation
in childhood. Symptoms may persist for a long time and interfere with activities in
daily life, leisure, and school (postconcussion syndrome; Bonfert et al., 2022; GNPI,
2022). The impact of TBI on bio-psychosocial functioning is currently a research gap
in the field of psychosocial functioning, particularly in children and adolescents.
Methods: As part of an online survey, adolescents and young adults (n = 29) were asked about the cognitive, emotional, and social effects of TBI. These
questions covered the areas of school/work, family, friends, and speech and language
therapy. The construction of the questionnaire, based on the ICF model, also used
items from established questionnaires such as from established questionnaires such
as the LCQ (Büttner-Kunert et al., 2021) and Quolibri-Ado (von Steinbüchel et al.,
2022).
Results: There was a high need for speech and language therapy support in all contexts. Particularly
in the school or work environment, there are significant difficulties due to cognitive-communicative
dysfunctions (e.g., concentration and attention problems and discourse impairments),
even long after the TBI. Acceptance and understanding from family and friends were
mentioned as resources.
Conclusion: The study can be used as a starting point for broader focus group studies on cognitive-communicative
dysfunctions in pediatric TBI. Future research should focus on the relationship between
cognitive-communicative impairments and the participation of children/young people
in their personal-social environment, as well as in school, education, and work.
