title: Predictors of depressive symptoms in parents of chronically ill children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify factors in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patient population that may result in increased risk of depressive symptoms in their parents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six-month, prospective, observational study in a tertiary-level PICU on parents of chronically ill children admitted to PICU. Parents were assessed by background questionnaire and standardized depression scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data was compared to various markers such as child's diagnosis, admission reason, palliative care diagnosis type (ACT code), and course/length of disease. Incidence of depressive symptoms in parents was inversely correlated with duration of child's chronic illness. Parents of children admitted for planned postoperative management were more likely to report depressive symptoms compared to parents of children admitted for acute changes in health.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parents of certain chronically ill children may benefit from routine screening for depression.
authors: Divisions of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, University of Michigan Medical School, C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Ann Arbor, USA. kfauman@tuftsmedicalcenter.org
authors: Karen R
authors: KR
authors: Fauman
authors: Kenneth J
authors: KJ
authors: Pituch
authors: Yong Y
authors: YY
authors: Han
authors: Matthew F
authors: MF
authors: Niedner
authors: Janella
authors: J
authors: Reske
authors: Ann Marie
authors: AM
authors: LeVine
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002673:Child, Hospitalized; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index