A prospective study on paediatric traffic injuries: health-related quality of life and post-traumatic stress.
OBJECTIVE
To examine children's reports of their health-related quality of life (HRQoL) following paediatric traffic injury, to explore child and parental post-traumatic stress, and to identify children and parents with adverse outcomes.


METHODS
Prospective cohort study.


METHODS
shortly after the injury, three months and six months post injury.


METHODS
Department of Traumatology, University Hospital.


METHODS
Fifty-one young traffic injury victims aged 8-15 years.


METHODS
TNO-AZL Children's Quality of Life questionnaire and the Impact of Event Scale.


RESULTS
Short-term adverse changes in the child's HRQoL were observed for the child's motor functioning and autonomy. At three months, 12% of the children and 16% of the parents reported serious post-traumatic stress symptoms. Increased stress at three months, or across follow-up, was observed among hospitalized children, children with head injuries, and children injured in a motor vehicle accident. Parental stress was related to low socioeconomic status and the seriousness of the child's injury and accident (hospitalization, head injury, serious injury, motor vehicle involved, others injured).


CONCLUSIONS
The children reported only temporary effects in their motor functioning and autonomy. Post-traumatic stress symptoms following paediatric traffic injury were not only experienced by the children, but also by their parents.
Sturms
Leontien M
LM
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands.
van der Sluis
Corry K
CK
Stewart
Roy E
RE
Groothoff
Johan W
JW
ten Duis
Henk Jan
HJ
Eisma
Willem H
WH
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*