Brief Report: Mothers' long-term posttraumatic stress symptoms following a burn event of their child

Bakker, Anne, van Loey, Nancy E.E., van Son, Maaten J.M. and van der Heijden, Peter G.M. (2010) Brief Report: Mothers' long-term posttraumatic stress symptoms following a burn event of their child. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 35 (6), 656-661. (doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsp090). (PMID:19846581)

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

This prospective longitudinal study examines the course of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in mothers of children with burns between 1 and 11 years after the burn event and the role of burn severity and feelings of guilt on this course.

METHOD:

Self-reported PTSS of 48 mothers were measured with the Impact of Event Scale. Guilt feelings were assessed during an in-depth interview 2 years after the burn event. Eleven years after the burn event, mothers marked their child's scars at the present time on a drawing.

RESULTS:

Over a period of 10 years, maternal PTSS decreased. Multiple regression analysis showed that the interaction between guilt and burn severity predicted the course of PTSS.

CONCLUSIONS:

Although PTSS substantially decreases through the years, a subset of mothers, in particular mothers who feel guilty about the burn event and whose children have more extensive permanent scarring seem at risk for longer term PTSS.

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Contributors

Author: Peter G.M. van der Heijden

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