Supporting families after pediatric traumatic injury: Illuminating parent experiences of stress and coping

Pediatric traumatic injury is the leading cause of acquired disability for youth in the United States, accounts for 20% of all hospitalizations, and is associated with high rates of posttraumatic stress in both children and their parents. Parents’ acute stress reactions and their ability to engage in responsive parenting after injury have been shown to predict children’s posttraumatic stress symptoms. Hospital-based social workers are trained to address psychosocial components of medicine and are uniquely positioned to support families after trauma, yet little is known about how best to reduce parent stress following their child’s traumatic injury. This investigation, informed by ecological systems theory and a socioecological perspective on trauma, aimed to understand parents’ experiences of acute stress following their child’s injury to inform key points at which intervention could reduce parental stress and enable positive, supportive parenting. Seven parents of children admitted to a level 1 trauma center pediatric intensive care unit following traumatic injury participated in semi-structured interviews and brief assessments of risk for chronic stress and concrete resource needs one to three months post injury. Data analysis and interpretation were guided by interpretive description methodology. Results suggest that despite exceptional medical care, parents experienced high levels of stress and emotional turmoil in the wake of their child’s injury and would benefit from additional services to reduce their stress so they can better support their child, particularly those with unmet resource needs. Social work programs are needed in acute care settings to support both parents and children following traumatic injury.