title: Mothers' recollections of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit: associations with psychopathology and views on follow up.
abstract: The aim of this study was to establish rates of posttraumatic stress symptoms in mothers after a child's admission to a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and their views on the potential value of a follow up appointment with PICU staff. Thirty-four mothers completed the Parental Stressor Scale:PICU, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and the Impact of Event Scale, 8 months after discharge. In total 18/34 (53%) scored > or =5 on the GHQ-28 and 6/32 (18%) of the sample scored in the severe range (>35) on the Impact of Event Scale. Distress was associated with retrospective reports of stress experienced during admission (p < 0.001) but not with other demographic or medical variables. Mothers who talked about their feelings at the time of the admission had lower posttraumatic stress scores at 8 months (p = 0.02) and 25/34 (74%) mothers would have appreciated the offer of a follow up appointment. Screening for distress during admission with the Parental Stressor Scale:PICU may identify those mothers in greatest need of psychological support. Mothers' recollections of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit: Associations with psychopathology and views on follow up.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, 6th Floor Hunter Wing, St George's Hospital Medical School, London, UK. g.colville@sgul.ac.uk
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Colville
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gracey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000359:Aftercare / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002673:Child, Hospitalized; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012944:Social Support; D040701:Stress Disorders, Traumatic, Acute / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires