All children and families facing pediatric medical events can experience traumatic stress reactions.
Research suggests a range of risk factors that increase the likelihood of long-lasting traumatic stress reactions related to pediatric medical events, including:
- pre-existing vulnerabilities;
- prior behavioral or emotional concerns;
- traumatic aspects of the medical event or treatment experience; and
- the child’s or family’s early / acute reactions in the aftermath of a medical event.
Take-home message from the research data:
Objective indicators of illness or injury severity are not good predictors of which patients and family members will go on to have lasting traumatic stress reactions. This means that it is not only the most ill or the most severely injured child who may need extra attention.
Risk Factors for Persistent Traumatic Stress Reactions
Ill or Injured Children who:
- have more severe early traumatic stress symptoms
- experience more severe levels of pain
- are exposed to scary sights and sounds in the hospital
- are separated from parents or caregivers during / after trauma
- have a history of previous traumatic experiences
- have a history of behavioral or emotional problems
- lack social support
Parents who:
- have more severe early traumatic stress symptoms
- have a history of previous traumatic experiences
- have a history of emotional or mental health problems
- are experiencing concurrent life stressors or disruption
- lack social support
How can understanding risk factors help improve care?
Consider:
Which of the risk factors noted above can be impacted by the healthcare team and the care environment?
By incorporating an awareness of pediatric medical traumatic stress in their encounters with children and families, health care providers can minimize potentially traumatic aspects of medical care, such as:
- sights, sounds, experiences in the hospital or emergency department that are new or frightening
- separation of children and parents
- uncontrolled pain.
