Parental distress in response to childhood medical trauma: A mediation model.
This study explored the relationship between individual and family-level risk in predicting longer-term parental distress following their child's unexpected diagnosis of serious illness. A mediation model was tested, whereby parents' pre-existing psychosocial risk predicts longer-term posttraumatic stress symptoms, indirectly through parents' acute stress response. One hundred and thirty-two parents of 104 children participated. Acute stress response partially mediated the relationship between psychosocial risk and posttraumatic stress symptoms, with a moderate indirect effect (r2 = .20, P = .56, p < .001). Findings demonstrated that cumulative psychosocial risk factors predispose parents to acute stress and longer-term posttraumatic stress symptoms, highlighting the need for psychosocial screening in this population.
['Currie|Roseanne|R|', 'Anderson|Vicki A|VA|', 'McCarthy|Maria C|MC|', 'Burke|Kylie|K|', 'Hearps|Stephen Jc|SJ|', 'Muscara|Frank|F|0000-0002-5568-8450']
D002648:Child D006801:Humans D010290:Parents D012307:Risk Factors D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic D013315:Stress, Psychological
trauma illness children risk factors acute illness family psychological distress