Parental stress and burden following traumatic brain injury amongst children and adolescents.

Parental stress and burden following traumatic brain injury amongst children and adolescents.

Hawley CA; Ward AB; Magnay AR; Long J

Brain Injury

2003

Child; Female; Humans; Male; Adult; England; Questionnaires; Follow-Up Studies; Health Status; Longitudinal Studies; Mental Health; Cost of Illness; Analysis of Variance; Health Education; Family Health; Family Characteristics; Stress; adolescent; Preschool; Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support; Adaptation; Psychological; Comparative Study; Parents/psychology; poverty; Brain Injuries/economics/psychology; Psychological/etiology

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: To assess parental stress following paediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI), and examine the relationship between self-reported problems, parental stress and general health. RESEARCH DESIGN: Parents of 97 children admitted with a TBI (49 mild, 19 moderate, 29 severe) to North Staffordshire National Health Service Trust, and parents of 31 uninjured children were interviewed and assessed. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Structured interviews were carried out with families, and parents assessed on the Parenting Stress Index (PSI/SF) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) at recruitment, and repeated 12 months later. MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Forty parents (41.2%) of children with TBI exhibited clinically significant stress. Regardless of injury severity, parents of injured children suffered greater stress than control parents as measured by the PSI/SF (p = 0.001). There was a highly significant relationship between number of problems reported and level of parental stress (p = 0.001). Financial burden was related to severity of TBI. At follow-up, one third of parents of children with severe TBI scored > or =18 on the GHQ-12, signifying poor psychological health. CONCLUSIONS: The parents of a child with serious TBI should be screened for abnormal levels of stress. Parental stress and family burden may be alleviated by improved information, follow-up and support.

2003

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