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Background <p>Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of disability and long-term sequelae in children and adolescents worldwide. To facilitate understanding of the emotional, cognitive, and somatic symptoms following pediatric TBI, the present study aims to assess the prevalence of post-concussion-like symptoms (PCLS) in children and adolescents aged 8 to 17 years in Germany and to investigate the associations between risk factors and the occurrence of symptoms.</p> Methods <p>A web-based survey included two age-appropriate versions of the Postconcussion Symptom Inventory (PCSI; for children: 8–12 years, for adolescents: 13–17 years), a self-report questionnaire recommended for post-concussion symptom assessment in young patients. Classification of participants according to symptom impairment occurred using different cut-offs. We used logistic regression to examine the influence of sociodemographic and health-related factors.</p> Results <p>A total of 1.997 respondents completed the survey. The most commonly reported symptom in the 8–12 age group was irritability (49.8%) and in the 13–17 age group drowsiness (51.6%). More than half (58.3%) of children and up to 66.5% of adolescents were classified as impaired despite not having experienced TBI, using the most liberal cut-off score that considered impairment if at least three PCSI symptoms indicated at least a mild problem. Chronic health conditions were found to be a significant risk factor for reporting impairment.</p> Conclusions <p>We found a high prevalence of PCLS in children and adolescents from the general German population, suggesting that these symptoms are not exclusively TBI-specific. Therefore, the evaluation of post-concussion symptoms after TBI should be done with caution, taking into account the individual’s premorbid health status and medical history.</p> Trial registration <p>The study is registered retrospectively in German Clinical Trials Register and in International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (DRKS00032854||12/10/2023).</p>

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Prevalence of post-concussion-like symptoms in children and adolescents in Germany: a cross-sectional study

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月31日

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  • Jonathan Niklas Sturm,
  • Leonie Krol,
  • Tammam Abboud,
  • Katrin Cunitz,
  • Nicole von Steinbuechel,
  • Marina Zeldovich

摘要

Background

Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of disability and long-term sequelae in children and adolescents worldwide. To facilitate understanding of the emotional, cognitive, and somatic symptoms following pediatric TBI, the present study aims to assess the prevalence of post-concussion-like symptoms (PCLS) in children and adolescents aged 8 to 17 years in Germany and to investigate the associations between risk factors and the occurrence of symptoms.

Methods

A web-based survey included two age-appropriate versions of the Postconcussion Symptom Inventory (PCSI; for children: 8–12 years, for adolescents: 13–17 years), a self-report questionnaire recommended for post-concussion symptom assessment in young patients. Classification of participants according to symptom impairment occurred using different cut-offs. We used logistic regression to examine the influence of sociodemographic and health-related factors.

Results

A total of 1.997 respondents completed the survey. The most commonly reported symptom in the 8–12 age group was irritability (49.8%) and in the 13–17 age group drowsiness (51.6%). More than half (58.3%) of children and up to 66.5% of adolescents were classified as impaired despite not having experienced TBI, using the most liberal cut-off score that considered impairment if at least three PCSI symptoms indicated at least a mild problem. Chronic health conditions were found to be a significant risk factor for reporting impairment.

Conclusions

We found a high prevalence of PCLS in children and adolescents from the general German population, suggesting that these symptoms are not exclusively TBI-specific. Therefore, the evaluation of post-concussion symptoms after TBI should be done with caution, taking into account the individual’s premorbid health status and medical history.

Trial registration

The study is registered retrospectively in German Clinical Trials Register and in International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (DRKS00032854||12/10/2023).