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Journal of Pediatric Psychology Advance Access published online on June 8, 2006
Journal of Pediatric Psychology, doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsl005
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© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Received September 28, 2005
Revised April 3, 2006
Accepted April 3, 2006

Article

Parental Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms as a Moderator of Child’s Acute Biological Response and Subsequent Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Pediatric Injury Patients

Nicole R. Nugent MA 1, Sarah Ostrowski MA 1, Norman C. Christopher MD 2, and Douglas L. Delahanty PhD 3 *

1 Department of Psychology, Kent State University
2 Emergency/Trauma Services, Akron Children’s Hospital; Department of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM)
3 Department of Psychology, Kent State University; Department of Psychology in Psychiatry, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM)

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Douglas L. Delahanty, E-mail: ddelahan{at}kent.edu


  Abstract

Objective To examine how parental responses following pediatric injury may influence their child’s posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Methods Heart rate (HR) from 82 pediatric injury patients was measured during emergency medical services (EMSs) transport and following hospital admission. Twelve-hour urinary cortisol levels were assessed upon admission. Child PTSS and parental PTSS and general distress were assessed 6 weeks and 6 months after trauma. Results Six-week parental PTSS predicted 6-month child PTSS even after controlling for demographics and general parent distress ({Delta}R2 = .08, p = .03). Parental PTSS moderated the relationship between (a) child cortisol levels and 6-month child PTSS ({Delta}R2 = .08, p = .03) and between (b) hospital HR and 6-month child PTSS ({Delta}R2 = .09, p = .03). Conclusion The present findings suggest that parental response to trauma may interact with child acute physiological responses to predict persistent child PTSS.

Keywords: acute predictors; children; parents; posttraumatic stress disorder.
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