Health outcomes in children living in military families caring for a service member or Veteran with traumatic brain injury

Abstract: This study examined pediatric health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in families in which one parent was a service member or veteran (SMV) with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the second parent was providing caregiving support to the SMV. Intimate partner caregivers (N = 168) of SMVs completed measures of HRQOL, SMV adjustment, and five parent proxy pediatric HRQOL measures for 350 children (M = 1.9 per caregiver). Caregivers were classified into four caregiver distress/SMV adjustment groups: [1] No Distress/Good Adjustment (n = 43, children = 79); [2] No Distress/Poor Adjustment (n = 19, children = 35); [3] High Distress/Good Adjustment (n = 18, children = 41); and [4] High Distress/Poor Adjustment (n = 88, children = 195). The High Distress/Good Adjustment and High Distress/Poor Adjustment groups reported worse scores on all pediatric HRQOL measures and a higher cumulative prevalence of clinically elevated scores (>= 60 T) compared to the No Distress/Good Adjustment group; and on most comparisons compared to the No Distress/Poor Adjustment group. Fewer differences were found between the No Distress/Poor Adjustment and No Distress/Good Adjustment groups. There were no significant differences between the High Distress/Good Adjustment and High Distress/Poor Adjustment groups. Many caregivers reported clinically elevated scores on all five pediatric HRQOL measures in the total sample (23.1-53.7%) and in a 15 to 17-year-old subsample (23.6-61.1%). While poor SMV adjustment was associated with worse pediatric HRQOL, caregiver distress was associated with further impairment in pediatric HRQOL. Children of SMVs with neurobehavioral problems post-TBI and caregivers of SMVs experiencing high distress, may require intervention and long-term monitoring into adulthood. This study examined pediatric health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in families in which one parent was a service member or veteran (SMV) with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the second parent was providing caregiving support to the SMV.Over half the children were living in a military caregiving home with both parents experiencing high distress.SMV distress was associated with worse HRQOL in their children. Caregiver distress was associated with further impairment in their children's HRQOL.Negative childhood health outcomes were on a trajectory to persist into adulthood.

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