Abstract
Question: Adjustment after pediatric burn injury may be a challenge for children and adolescents,as well as their parents. This study examined the prevalence of internalizing and externalizing problems in children and adolescents 12 months postburn. Moreover, associations with preburn functioning, and parental acute- and enduring posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) were investigated, as well as the role of informant biases.
Methods: Prospective multi-centre study, investigating child-, mother- and father reports of 90 children (9-18 years), collected within the first month and 12 months postburn. The sample included 65 boys and 25 girls, with a mean age of 13.84 years (SD = 2.41 years). Percentage TBSA ranged from 1 to 72 (M = 9.95, SD = 12.26). Path models within a structural equation modeling framework
were used to estimate direct and indirect effects among the constructs.
Results: Overall, child- and parental appraisals of pre- and postburn behavioral problems were not significantly different from reference data. Pre- and postburn behavioral problems were significantly related, but only if parents reported on postburn outcomes. Path models showed an association between parental PTSS at 12 months postburn and parental reports of internalizing problems in their child, as well as a significant indirect relationship from parental acute stress
symptoms via PTSS 12 months postburn to their observation of internalizing problems in the child. Notably, no significant associations between parental PTSS and the children’s own reports of postburn behavioral problems were found.
Conclusion: Parental reports of child externalizing problems appear to be especially determined by their perspectives on the child’s preburn functioning, while parental reports of internalizing problems are also related to enduring parental PTSS. Clinical burn practice is recommended to use a family perspective in the aftermath of a pediatric burn event, by also including parents in prevention
and intervention strategies. Including assessments of pre- and postburn behavioral problems and parental PTSS, preferably by the use of multiple informants, seems valuable to optimize child and
adolescent postburn adjustment.
Methods: Prospective multi-centre study, investigating child-, mother- and father reports of 90 children (9-18 years), collected within the first month and 12 months postburn. The sample included 65 boys and 25 girls, with a mean age of 13.84 years (SD = 2.41 years). Percentage TBSA ranged from 1 to 72 (M = 9.95, SD = 12.26). Path models within a structural equation modeling framework
were used to estimate direct and indirect effects among the constructs.
Results: Overall, child- and parental appraisals of pre- and postburn behavioral problems were not significantly different from reference data. Pre- and postburn behavioral problems were significantly related, but only if parents reported on postburn outcomes. Path models showed an association between parental PTSS at 12 months postburn and parental reports of internalizing problems in their child, as well as a significant indirect relationship from parental acute stress
symptoms via PTSS 12 months postburn to their observation of internalizing problems in the child. Notably, no significant associations between parental PTSS and the children’s own reports of postburn behavioral problems were found.
Conclusion: Parental reports of child externalizing problems appear to be especially determined by their perspectives on the child’s preburn functioning, while parental reports of internalizing problems are also related to enduring parental PTSS. Clinical burn practice is recommended to use a family perspective in the aftermath of a pediatric burn event, by also including parents in prevention
and intervention strategies. Including assessments of pre- and postburn behavioral problems and parental PTSS, preferably by the use of multiple informants, seems valuable to optimize child and
adolescent postburn adjustment.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Unpublished - 18 Sept 2015 |
| Event | 16th European Burn Association Congress - , Germany Duration: 16 Sept 2015 → 19 Sept 2015 |
Conference
| Conference | 16th European Burn Association Congress |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Germany |
| Period | 16/09/15 → 19/09/15 |
Bibliographical note
Presented by Marthe Egberts.Abstract in Annals of Burns and Fire Disasters - vol. XXVIII - Supplement EBA - September 2015