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Psychological trajectories of mothers and fathers following their child's diagnosis of a life‐threatening illness or injury: A longitudinal investigation
Author(s) -
Darling Simone J.,
Hearps Stephen J.C.,
Muscara Frank,
McCarthy Maria,
Nicholson Jan M.,
Burke Kylie,
Dimovski Anica,
Anderson Vicki
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.22829
Subject(s) - psychosocial , psychological intervention , stressor , mental health , mental illness , psychology , psychiatry , disease , injury prevention , clinical psychology , poison control , medicine , medical emergency , pathology
Objective Explore the mental health trajectories of parents following their child's life‐threatening illness/injury. Methods Participants were 217 parents (mean age: 34.9–40.0; 66 fathers) of 165 children who presented to a tertiary hospital with a life‐threatening illness/injury. Parents completed questionnaires about their mental health and psychosocial stressors within 4 weeks of the child's illness/injury (T1), and 4 months (T2), 7 months (T3), and 19 months (T4) postdiagnosis. Results For both mothers and fathers, mental health symptoms were elevated at diagnosis declining to normal levels by T3, with a pattern of increase at T4. Fathers demonstrated a faster decline in symptoms between T1 and T2, and fathers, but not mothers, experienced a relapse in depressive symptoms at T4. Fathers reported higher rates of work changes. Conclusions These findings have important implications for the design and timing of parental interventions to support families of children with life‐threatening disease/injury.