Mental Health Care Following Firearm and Motor Vehicle-related Injuries: Differences Impacting Our Treatment Strategies

Objective: To compare new mental health diagnoses (NMHD) in children after a firearm injury versus following a motor vehicle collision (MVC). Background: A knowledge gap exists regarding childhood mental health diagnoses following firearm injuries, notably in comparison to other forms of traumatic injury. Methods: We utilized Medicaid MarketScan claims (2010–2016) to conduct a matched case-control study of children ages 3 to 17 years. Children with firearm injuries were matched with up to 3 children with MVC injuries. Severity was determined by injury severity score and emergency department disposition. We used multivariable logistic regression to measure the association of acquiring a NMHD diagnosis in the year postinjury after firearm and MVC mechanisms. Results: We matched 1450 children with firearm injuries to 3691 children with MVC injuries. Compared to MVC injuries, children with firearm injuries were more likely to be black, have higher injury severity score, and receive hospital admission from the emergency department (P
Source: Annals of Surgery - Category: Surgery Tags: Papers of the 141st ASA Annual Meeting Source Type: research