Trauma Resilience and Recovery Program: Addressing Mental Health in Pediatric Trauma Centers

Objective Approximately 225,000 children sustain injuries requiring hospitalization annually. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are prevalent among pediatric patients and caregivers post-injury. Most U.S. trauma centers do not address patients’ mental health needs. Better models of care are needed to address emotional recovery. This article describes the engagement and recovery trajectories of pediatric patients enrolled in the Trauma Resilience and Recovery Program (TRRP), a stepped-care model to accelerate emotional recovery following hospitalization. Methods TRRP is designed to (a) provide in-hospital education about post-injury emotional recovery and assess child and caregiver distress; (b) track mental health symptoms via a 30-day text-messaging program; (c) complete 30-day PTSD and depression phone screens; and (d) provide evidence-based treatment via telehealth or in-person services or referrals, if needed. All 154 families approached were offered TRRP services, 96% of whom agreed to enroll in TRRP. Most patients were boys (59.8%), and average age was 9.12 years [standard deviation (SD) = 5.42]. Most injuries (45.8%) were sustained from motor vehicle accidents. Results In hospital, 68.5% of caregivers and 78.3% of children reported clinically significant distress levels. Over 60% of families enrolled in the texting service. TRRP re-engaged 40.1% of families for the 30-day screen, 35.5% of whom reported clinically significant PTSD (M = 13.90, SD = 11.42) and/or depression (M = 13.35, SD = 11.16). Most (76%) patients with clinically significant symptomology agreed to treatment. Conclusions Our intervention model was feasible and increased reach to families who needed services. Efforts to improve follow-up engagement are discussed, as are initial successes in implementing this model in other pediatric trauma centers.