Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms in Parents of Children With Acute Burns

OBJECTIVE: To develop a model of risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in parents of children with burns. METHODS: Immediately following the burn and 3 months later, parents reported on their children\u27s and their own psychological functioning and traumatic stress responses. RESULTS: Approximately 47% of the parents reported experiencing significant posttraumatic stress symptoms 3 months after the burn. Our model indicates three independent pathways to PTSD symptoms (i.e., parent-child conflict, parents\u27 dissociation, and children\u27s PTSD symptoms). Additionally, parents\u27 anxiety predicted increased parent-child conflict, conflict with extended family and size of the burn predicted parents\u27 dissociation, and size of the burn and children\u27s dissociation predicted children\u27s PTSD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that many parents of children with burns suffer from posttraumatic stress symptoms. Interventions that target factors such as family conflict, children\u27s symptoms, and parents\u27 acute anxiety and dissociation may diminish the risk for PTSD