Parent-child discrepancy in reporting children's post-traumatic stress reactions after a traffic accident.
This study examines possible parent-child discrepancies in the reporting of post-traumatic stress reactions in children after a traffic accident. Sixteen children exposed to the same traffic accident were interviewed about post-traumatic stress reactions at 5 weeks and at 6 months after the event, utilizing the Child Posttraumatic Stress Reaction Index (CPTS-RI). Independently, the parents' reported their child's degree of post-traumatic stress reactions on the CPTS-RI: Parent questionnaire, at the same two times. Clinicians also assessed the children's level of general functioning on the Children's Global Assessment Scale. The children reported significantly more post-traumatic stress reactions than observed by their parents 4 weeks after the accident. The parent-child discrepancy was more pronounced among younger children. The level of children's self-reported post-traumatic stress reactions decreased significantly from the first to the second assessment. At the second assessment, 6 months after the accident, there was no significant parent-child discrepancy observed. The children showed a normal level of functioning despite their post-traumatic stress reactions. The reported parent-child discrepancy indicates that information about children's post-traumatic stress reactions after an accident is best obtained directly from the children.
Dyb
Grete
G
Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Medicine, Trondheim, Norway. grete.dyb@medisin.ntnu.no
Holen
Are
A
Braenne
Kjersti
K
Indredavik
Marit S
MS
Aarseth
Jon
J
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis*