Issues: Creating and implementing a plan to successfully quit smoking likely requires executive function (EF) skills such as inhibition, cognitive flexibility, attention and working memory. This scoping review consolidates the research evidence evaluating the role of EF in smoking cessation.Approach: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA‐ScR), researchers and a medical librarian searched PubMed, EMBASE, ERIC, CINAHL and PSYCINFO in June 2022, hand‐search in September 2022 using relevant MeSH terms, and an updated search was completed in August 2024.Key Findings: Fifteen articles were included. Self‐regulation was the most frequently evaluated EF across all studies. Performance on measures of impulsivity was most frequently related to successful smoking cessation. Across studies, performance on measures in areas of attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility and higher‐level EF was variable as it relates to smoking cessation success. There was considerable variability in the measures used to evaluate EF and definitions of cessation success. Across studies, very little research evaluates higher‐level EF.Implications and Conclusion: Differences in EF and cessation measures make comparisons across studies difficult. Future work is needed utilising common assessment and outcome measures that will improve our understanding of the complex cognitive skills needed for successful cessation. Particular consideration should be given to higher‐level EFs including reasoning, planning, problem‐solving and decision‐making.

Caregivers of children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) often report unmet healthcare needs following their child’s injury. The objective of this study was to survey medical and educational professionals in focus groups to respond to caregiver perceived gaps in care and service provision for children with TBI identified in a prior qualitative study. Subjects included 29 medical and educational providers. Reflexive thematic analysis of responses included inductive and deductive analysis and iterative consensus among the authors. Themes identified included (1) improving education and care in the hospital, (2) preparing families to go home, (3) improving behavioral health care, (4) navigating schools, (5) empowering caregivers with resources and (6) medical and system barriers. These solutions require implementation at the individual, hospital, and broader systemic levels. Overall, provider solutions illuminate a greater need to improve care coordination to navigate a child’s long-term medical needs and transition back to school, as well as the need to train more pediatric brain-injury-aware providers and improve policy and support systems.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the occurrence and impact of fatigue, fogginess, and sleep complaints on functioning at 3, 6, 10, and 16 months after childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI). Method: Eighty-eight caregivers completed online surveys regarding their children with TBI, with 17 participants included at the final time point. Measures included questions related to demographic and injury characteristics, executive functioning, social relations, health-related quality of life, and fatigue, fogginess, and sleep complaints. Results: Fatigue, fogginess, and sleep complaints were persistent and ultimately increased at 16 months postinjury. Over half of the participants were experiencing each symptom at 16 months postinjury (i.e., 52.94% fatigue and fogginess, 58.82% sleep complaints). At 16 months postinjury, fatigue was significantly associated with female sex, and fatigue and sleep complaints were significantly associated with lower physical quality of life, but no other differences were found with symptoms and current functioning. Conclusions: The results of this study support that fatigue, fogginess, and sleep complaints can persist (from baseline, from postinjury, and in fluctuation) chronically for about half of the children with TBI but little association or impact on other domains of functioning. The present study supports the continued investigation of fatigue, fogginess, and sleep complaints after childhood brain injury, but further investigation with a larger sample size is necessary to inform clinical practices for assessment and management, particularly for speech-language pathologists in rehabilitation and educational settings.

(1) Background: Housing instability is a public health issue in both developed and developing countries. This exploratory pilot study examines executive functioning (EF) and the history of acquired brain injury (ABI) in youth and young adults experiencing homelessness (YYEH). (2) Methods: Twenty-three YYEH (ages 18–25; 48% male) were recruited from a drop-in center in Central Ohio. The Ohio State University TBI Identification Method (OSU TBI-ID+ABI) was used to screen for exposure to ABI. Outcomes were measured using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function for Adults (BRIEF-A) and the NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery. (3) Results: Eighty-seven percent of participants reported a lifetime history of ABI, including traumatic brain injury or hypoxic-anoxic brain injury. Overall, participants did not present with elevated EF scores on outcome measures. Those with multiple lifetime ABIs (n = 16) had significantly higher scores than those with a single ABI (n = 4), representing poorer EF, on shift, self-monitor, task monitor, and the Global Executive Composite of the BRIEF-A. There was no evidence of significant differences between participants on outcome measures based on injury mechanism. (4) Conclusions: In this pilot sample, those with multiple reported ABIs demonstrated decreased EF performance, and these differences were noted in specific areas of EF. To ensure YYEH have access to services, resource support and intervention providers should consider the cognitive profiles of the youth they serve.