Abstract
ContextThe literature agrees on the impact of post-traumatic stress symptoms in parents of seriously ill children but there is less clarity about the real extent and gender differences of this psychopathological risk. The recent Covid-19 outbreak highlighted new burdens for researchers on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and clear evidence-based knowledge on this issue is timely needed.ObjectiveIn this review, we present a synthesis of the updated evidence on PTSD rates in parents of children with severe diseases.We also aim to try to understand if research in this field has been refined over time with the long-term intent to better face the new challenges of Covid-19 in the paediatric field.Data sourcesThe PubMed database was searched.Study selectionStudies were included if they assessed PTSD in parents of children diagnosed with physical illnesses.Data extractionOf 240 studies, 4 were included.ResultsAnalysis of the 4 studies revealed 2 studies with PTSD rates around 20% and in line with previous best-evidence. All 4 studies tried to provide more data on fathers, however, all the studies present the lack of a control group.LimitationsThe limited number of studies, which also differ widely in the methodology used.ConclusionsMethodological errors evidenced in all the 4 studies limit their reliability, making the understanding of the paediatric caregiver’s concern regarding PTSD still difficult. More sound research is needed.
Highlights
State of the art Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in parents of children with severe physical illnesses represents a public mental health concern that has received increasing attention over the past decade [1–6]
Since its first appearance in the IIIrd edition of the (Diagnostical and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) (DSM) [15], the PTSD classification, did not include the illness of a child as a traumatic event for the development of the disorder, but increasing attention has subsequently been paid to the topic in the literature, allowing its inclusion nowadays among traumatic events [13, 16]
A further aim is to observe if they address the literature gaps highlighted in previous findings: the majority of the studies were on cancer, included predominantly maternal samples and a very small number had a control group. With this aim in mind, we have selected 4 main areas of interests, in particular: parents’ PTSD rates, disease type, number of fathers compared to mothers and control groups
Summary
State of the art Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in parents of children with severe physical illnesses represents a public mental health concern that has received increasing attention over the past decade [1–6]. The most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychological Association, [APA], 2013) [13] first recognized PTSD as a possible mental health sequelae to severe acute and chronic illness experiences both in patients and family members [14]. Since its first appearance in the IIIrd edition of the DSM [15], the PTSD classification, did not include the illness of a child as a traumatic event for the development of the disorder, but increasing attention has subsequently been paid to the topic in the literature, allowing its inclusion nowadays among traumatic events [13, 16]. In families of children with cancer, the proportion of PTSD was about 4 times higher than it was in families with healthy children [18]
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