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Feasibility of a Screening Program for At‐Risk Children Following Accidental Injury
Author(s) -
March Sonja,
Kenardy Justin A.,
Cobham Vanessa E.,
Nixon Reginald D. V.,
McDermott Brett,
Young Alexandra
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.21981
Subject(s) - accidental , poison control , injury prevention , public health , suicide prevention , occupational safety and health , medicine , psychology , medical emergency , nursing , physics , acoustics , pathology
Screening is recommended as a simple method for identifying those who should be monitored for risk following trauma. Effective methods for implementing large‐scale screening programs are yet to be established. This study tested the feasibility and utility of a screening program with hospitalized youth exposed to injury in 3 Australian hospitals. Eligible families ( N = 1,134) were contacted and 546 children (48.0%) screened for risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at 1–2 weeks postinjury. There were 95 (17.4%) children whose screen result was at risk. A rescreening phase was introduced during the study, with 68 children completing the rescreen at 4–6 weeks postinjury, and 26 (38.2% of those rescreened) still at risk. Of those initially screened, 29 (5.3%) completed diagnostic assessments, 21 (3.8%) were diagnosed with partial or full PTSD, and 17 (3.1%) commenced treatment. Screening was successful at identifying and reaching children with PTSD, but the response rate was lower than expected, which limited the utility of the program. The addition of a rescreening phase demonstrated that not all at‐risk children required intervention. These findings replicate previous studies that have shown natural remission in PTSD symptoms and highlight the potential for rescreening as part of a watchful waiting approach.