A Longitudinal Study Examining the Effects of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury on Callous-Unemotional Traits in Youth

• In Event: Neurobiological Factors for Antisocial Behaviors Among Youth Samples

Abstract

Mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI or concussions) are consistently associated with aggression and antisocial behavior, and one recent study identified a link with callous-unemotional traits (Olson et al., 2023). However, most studies rely on retrospective reports of head injury, which do not rule out potential confounds. For example, youth with aggressive tendencies may be more prone to injuries because of increased risk-taking or impulsivity. The present study addresses this gap by using a longitudinal design. We assessed pre-injury levels of CU traits by asking participants within 2 weeks of injury to report on CU traits prior to the injury. Then, CU traits were re-assessed at 6-months and 1-year post-injury to examine whether mTBI increases risk for CU traits. Participants were 147 youth (mean age 11.1 years, range 6-17, 59.2% boys, 77.6% white) recruited from hospital emergency rooms who had incurred either a mTBI (n=71) or an orthopedic injury not involving the head (n=76; control group). CU traits were measured using the Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (Kimonis et al., 2008). Controlling for age, gender, and previous head injury, a repeated-measures ANOVA indicated no effect of mTBI on changes in total CU traits (p=.88) or the subscales (uncaring (p=.90), callous (p=.30), unemotional (p=.21)) from baseline to 6 months. Additional data will be presented for the 1-year follow-up period. This study is novel in its longitudinal design with assessments of pre-injury symptoms completed soon after injury, and its inclusion of an orthopedic injury group to control for proneness to injury.

Authors

• Andrea Glenn, University of Alabama

• Brandon F. McCormick, University of Alabama