Abstract
Research on childhood trauma and its impact on psychological development has focused on factors that hinder coping and resilience, rather than those that promote healing. Two common yet under-researched types of traumas are traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) and motor vehicle accidents (MVAs). This study examined resilience factors in children who experienced these traumas, and whether predictors of resilience differ based on trauma type. Using pre-existing data, 313 pediatric patients who experienced TBIs and/or MVAs were analyzed. Factor analysis identified two key resilience factors: child mental health and parental mental health. It also found a third combined factor of family functioning and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores, which was split due to the negative correlation. A multiple regression analysis assessed how these factors influenced resilience across the entire sample, with outcome measures including child post-traumatic stress (PTS), quality of life (QOL) in global health, QOL in physical functioning, QOL in social functioning, and QOL in behavioral functioning. Results showed that child mental health, parental mental health, family functioning, age, and hospital/injury factors are associated with resilience in different areas. Regression analyses also revealed differences between the MVA-only and TBI-only groups, with more resilience factors significantly associated with the MVA group. Parent mental health was particularly salient for the MVA group, while hospital and injury factors were significant across both groups. This study discusses the implications of these findings, the importance of considering trauma type, hospital/injury actors, age, both child and parental mental health, and underscores the need for a family-focused approach in post-trauma pediatric care.