Efficacy of rehabilitation in improving social cognition and behavioral outcomes of pediatric traumatic brain injury: An integrative review

Background: One of the main causes of long-term disability in kids and teenagers is pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI), which frequently leads to deficiencies in behavioural and social cognition. Rehabilitation helps in enhancing these outcomes. Objectives: The purpose of this integrative review is to assess the available data on how well rehabilitation works to improve behavioral and social cognition in children with traumatic brain injury. Materials and methods: An extensive search of electronic databases and registries (PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science, among others) was conducted. Studies that looked at how rehabilitation therapies affected the social cognition and behavioural outcomes of pediatric TBI published between 2010 and 2024 were included. Results: Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria, which encompassed various rehabilitation interventions, including family-based interventions, social skills training, neurocognitive remediation, and cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). Overall, both behavioural outcomes, such as emotional regulation and adaptive behaviours, as well as social cognition, including theory of mind, emotional recognition, and social problem-solving abilities, were shown to improve with rehabilitation. Conclusion: In children and adolescents with TBI, rehabilitation interventions-especially those centered on social skills training, cognitive-behavioural methods, and neurocognitive remediation-can greatly enhance social cognition and behavioural outcomes. The analysis underscores the necessity of customized, multidisciplinary rehabilitation programs and identifies research topics for the future, such as including neurobiological underpinnings and long-term monitoring to gauge how long therapy effects last.