Overparenting in concussed children associated with increased recovery times and emotional distress

By Leah Snidman

A research article in Child Psychiatry & Human Development was the first to study the associations between overparenting, emotional distress, and recovery time post-concussion. The authors define overparenting as being exceedingly involved or protective and declining to allow children autonomy, possibly leading to deleterious psychosocial outcomes for the child.

Alicia M. Trbovich et al. used a cross-sectional study to investigate 101 participants diagnosed with a concussion who were still symptomatic or showing impairments. The researchers measured overparenting through a questionnaire administered to the parents; depression, anxiety, and stress in the patients were evaluated using a clinical questionnaire. Trbovich et al. measured recovery times via “symptom report, neurocognitive testing, and vestibular/oculomotor screening.” 

Researchers found that overparenting was associated with higher anxiety and stress for patients post-concussion and had a small yet significant correlation with longer recovery times. Further, higher emotional distress levels in patients were associated with worse clinical outcomes.

The researchers theorize that overparenting may lead to parents pushing their children to rest excessively, prolonging recovery. Further, by missing sporting events and academic responsibilities, the child may experience emotional distress.

The population studied were patients with no history of anxiety or depression; future research should be conducted on patients with mental health histories as overparenting may be even more impactful for this population.