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Post‐traumatic stress symptoms in childhood brain tumour survivors and their parents
Author(s) -
Bruce M.,
Gumley D.,
Isham L.,
Fearon P.,
Phipps K.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
child: care, health and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.832
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2214
pISSN - 0305-1862
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2010.01164.x
Subject(s) - traumatic stress , psychology , traumatic brain injury , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , medicine , psychiatry
Abstract Objectives This study aimed to investigate post‐traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in childhood brain tumour survivors and their parents. A further aim was to explore the relationship between objective illness parameters, parent–child interactions, coping styles and PTSS. Methods A cross‐sectional correlational design was employed. Fifty‐two childhood brain tumour survivors, aged 8–16, and 52 parents completed a battery of questionnaires designed to assess quality of parent–child interactions, monitoring and blunting attentional coping styles and PTSS. Results Over one‐third (35%) of survivors and 29% of their parents reported severe levels of PTSS (suggestive of post‐traumatic stress disorder ‘caseness’). Increased parent–child conflict resolution for survivors and number of tumour recurrences for parents independently predicted the variance in PTSS. Conclusions For a substantial proportion of brain tumour survivors and their parents the process of survivorship is a considerably distressing experience.