Search Here

Head injuries are known to increase the risk of depression in adults. However, a new study reveals that head injuries can also lead to depression in children.

Researchers found that children with brain injuries are significantly more likely suffer from depression.

The latest study wanted to identify the rate of depression in children with brain injuries in the United States.

Researchers examined data from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health and found more than 2,000 children with brain injuries and 3,112 children diagnosed with depression.

Researchers found that 15 percent of children with brain injuries or concussions were diagnosed with depression. The study revealed that depression is 4.9 times more frequent in children with brain injuries compared to children with no brain injuries.

"After adjustment for known predictors of depression in children like family structure, developmental delay and poor physical health, depression remained two times more likely in children with brain injury or concussion," study author Matthew C. Wylie, MD, said in a news release.

Wylie said the latest study "may enable better prognostication for brain-injured children and facilitate identification of those at high risk of depression."

The findings were presented Friday at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando.