AUTHOR=Sargénius Hanna L. , Andersson Stein , Haugen Ingvild , Hypher Ruth , Brandt Anne Elisabeth , Finnanger Torun G. , Rø Torstein B. , Risnes Kari , Stubberud Jan 

TITLE=Cognitive rehabilitation in paediatric acquired brain injury—A 2-year follow-up of a randomised controlled trial

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1173480

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2023.1173480

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=Background: Goal Management Training (GMT), a metacognitive rehabilitation method that has been demonstrated to improve executive function (EF) in adults with acquired brain injury (ABI), could potentially be effective for children in the chronic phase of ABI. In a previously published randomised controlled trial (RCT), the efficacy of a paediatric adaptation of GMT (pGMT) compared to a psychoeducative control intervention (paediatric Brain Health Workshop, pBHW) was investigated. Comparable improvements in EF in both groups were found at 6-months follow-up. However, a specific effect of pGMT could not be conclusively proven. The present study reports 2-year follow-up data (T4; T1: baseline, T2: post-intervention, T3: 6-months follow-up, and T4: 2-year follow-up) from this original RCT. Methods: Thirty-eight children and adolescents, and their parents completed questionnaires tapping into daily-life EF. Explorative analyses were conducted comparing 2-year follow-up data (T4) with baseline (T1) and 6-month follow-up data (T3) for T4-participants in the two intervention groups (pGMT; n=21, pBHW; n=17), and we also assessed T4-participants vs. non-responders (n =38) in the RCT. Primary outcome measures were the Behavioural Regulation Index (BRI) and Metacognition Index (MI) derived from the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) parent-report. Results: No difference between intervention groups was found (BRI, F=2.25, p = .143, MI, F=1.6, p = .213), and no time*group interaction (BRI, F=.07, p = 976, MI, F=.137, p = .937) could be seen at 2-years follow-up. Nevertheless, both the pGMT and the pBHW groups improved daily EF as measured by parental report over time from baseline to T4 (p = .034). T4-participants and non-responders shared similar baseline characteristics. Conclusions: Our results extend the findings from the 6-month follow-up previously published. Both the pGMT and pBHW groups sustained their improvements in daily life EFs from baseline, but additional effectiveness of pGMT relative to pBHW was not found.