Posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms, alcohol use, and recurrent traumatic life events in a representative sample of hospitalized injured adolescents and their parents.
OBJECTIVE
Few investigations have comprehensively assessed the scope of impairment of injured adolescents presenting to acute care inpatient settings.


METHODS
Randomly sampled injured adolescent inpatients and their parents were screened for posttraumatic stress (PTS) and depressive symptoms, preinjury alcohol use, and preinjury trauma. Linear regression was used to assess which clinical, demographic, and injury characteristics were independently associated with increased levels of adolescent PTS and depressive symptoms.


RESULTS
Fifty-seven percent [corrected] of adolescent-parent dyads endorsed high levels of PTS or depressive symptoms and/or high preinjury alcohol use. Adolescent female gender, greater levels of preinjury trauma, greater subjective distress at the time of the injury, and greater parental depressive symptoms were independently associated with increased levels of adolescent PTS and depressive symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
The adoption of early screening and intervention procedures that broadly consider the scope of impairment of injured adolescents and their family members could enhance the quality of acute care mental health service delivery.
Zatzick
Douglas
D
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, PO Box 359896, 325 Ninth Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98104-02499, USA. dzatzick@u.washington.edu
Russo
Joan
J
Grossman
David C
DC
Jurkovich
Gregory
G
Sabin
Janice
J
Berliner
Lucy
L
Rivara
Frederick
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D012008:Recurrence; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*