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Acute stress reactions in couples after a burn event to their young child

Acute stress reactions in couples after a burn event to their young child
Acute stress reactions in couples after a burn event to their young child
OBJECTIVE: This multicenter study examines acute stress reactions in couples following a burn event to their preschool child.

METHODS: Participants were 182 mothers and 154 fathers, including 143 couples, of 193 children (0-4 years) with acute burns. Parents' self-reported acute stress reactions and emotions regarding the burn event were measured within the first month postburn.

RESULTS: More mothers than fathers reported clinically significant acute stress reactions. Multilevel analysis revealed that individual parent reactions were associated with parent gender and negative emotions about the burn event. Interestingly, avoidance symptoms overlapped to an important extent within couples, whereas intrusion symptoms were mainly intra-individual. Burn characteristics, such as burn size, contributed to acute stress within couples.

CONCLUSIONS: Mothers and fathers are seriously affected by their child's burn trauma and share a part of their acute stress reactions. These results emphasize the importance of a family-based approach to support adjustment after pediatric medical trauma.
burns, children, parents, posttraumatic stress
0146-8693
1127-1135
Bakker, Anne
96f8a96b-dfa9-4215-9305-3e6e3849c475
van Loey, Nancy E.E.
f1df914e-e0bc-4d9d-afd3-1cec49ac763d
van der Heijden, Peter G.M.
85157917-3b33-4683-81be-713f987fd612
van Son, Maarten J.M.
5cef805c-86ba-4d8b-a930-8cdbc4eb51b7
Bakker, Anne
96f8a96b-dfa9-4215-9305-3e6e3849c475
van Loey, Nancy E.E.
f1df914e-e0bc-4d9d-afd3-1cec49ac763d
van der Heijden, Peter G.M.
85157917-3b33-4683-81be-713f987fd612
van Son, Maarten J.M.
5cef805c-86ba-4d8b-a930-8cdbc4eb51b7

Bakker, Anne, van Loey, Nancy E.E., van der Heijden, Peter G.M. and van Son, Maarten J.M. (2012) Acute stress reactions in couples after a burn event to their young child. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 37 (10), 1127-1135. (doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jss083). (PMID:22836747)

Record type: Article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This multicenter study examines acute stress reactions in couples following a burn event to their preschool child.

METHODS: Participants were 182 mothers and 154 fathers, including 143 couples, of 193 children (0-4 years) with acute burns. Parents' self-reported acute stress reactions and emotions regarding the burn event were measured within the first month postburn.

RESULTS: More mothers than fathers reported clinically significant acute stress reactions. Multilevel analysis revealed that individual parent reactions were associated with parent gender and negative emotions about the burn event. Interestingly, avoidance symptoms overlapped to an important extent within couples, whereas intrusion symptoms were mainly intra-individual. Burn characteristics, such as burn size, contributed to acute stress within couples.

CONCLUSIONS: Mothers and fathers are seriously affected by their child's burn trauma and share a part of their acute stress reactions. These results emphasize the importance of a family-based approach to support adjustment after pediatric medical trauma.

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More information

Published date: 26 July 2012
Keywords: burns, children, parents, posttraumatic stress
Organisations: Statistical Sciences Research Institute

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 344618
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/344618
ISSN: 0146-8693
PURE UUID: 72d48f5a-5154-471f-a12b-0aeb71fa96da
ORCID for Peter G.M. van der Heijden: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3345-096X

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Date deposited: 24 Oct 2012 15:37
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:46

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Contributors

Author: Anne Bakker
Author: Nancy E.E. van Loey
Author: Maarten J.M. van Son

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