Initial physiological responses and perceived hyperarousal predict subsequent emotional numbing in pediatric injury patients.
AVOIDANCE (Psychology); POST-traumatic stress disorder; HOSPITAL emergency services; CHILDREN'S injuries; URINE; HEART beat; CHILDREN'S accidents; DEPRESSION in children; EMOTIONS (Psychology)
The present study tested the hypothesis that acute posttraumatic hyperarousal would lead to the development of emotional numbing (EN) symptoms in a pediatric injury population. Eighty-two youths aged 8–18 years were recruited from the emergency department of a Midwestern children's hospital. Heart rate was recorded from emergency medical services reports and a 12-hour urine collection was initiated upon admission. Six weeks and 6 months later, depression and PTSD symptoms were assessed. Initial heart rate and urinary cortisol levels predicted 6-week and 6-month EN after controlling for concurrent depression, avoidance, and reexperiencing symptoms and 6-week hyperarousal symptoms. These findings provide empirical support for prior hypotheses concerning the development of PTSD symptoms over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Nugent Nicole R; Christopher Norman C; Delahanty Douglas L
Journal of Traumatic Stress
2006
2006-06
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1002/jts.20130" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1002/jts.20130</a>
The efficacy of early propranolol administration at reducing PTSD symptoms in pediatric injury patients: A pilot study.
TREATMENT of post-traumatic stress disorder; STRESS (Psychology); GENDER differences (Psychology); CHILDREN'S injuries; BLIND experiment; PHARMACOLOGY; PLACEBOS (Medicine); PROPRANOLOL
Initial research supports the use of propranolol to prevent posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); research has not examined pharmacological prevention for children. Twenty-nine injury patients (ages 10–18 years old) at risk for PTSD were randomized to a double-blind 10-day trial of propranolol or placebo initiated within 12 hours postadmission. Six-week PTSD symptoms and heart rate were assessed. Although intent-to-treat analyses revealed no group differences, findings supported a significant interaction between gender and treatment in medication-adherent participants, ΔR2 = .21. Whereas girls receiving propranolol reported more PTSD symptoms relative to girls receiving placebo, ΔR2 = .44, boys receiving propranolol showed a nonsignificant trend toward fewer PTSD symptoms than boys receiving placebo, ΔR2 = .32. Findings inform gender differences regarding pharmacological PTSD prevention in youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Nugent Nicole R; Christopher Norman C; Crow John P; Browne Lorin; Ostrowski Sarah; Delahanty Douglas L
Journal of Traumatic Stress
2010
2010-04
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1002/jts.20517" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1002/jts.20517</a>
The Impact of Caregiver Distress on the Longitudinal Development of Child Acute Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Pediatric Injury Victims.
ANALYSIS of variance; CHILD health services; CHILDREN'S injuries; POST-traumatic stress disorder in children; PSYCHOLOGY; STRUCTURAL equation modeling; VARIATION in child development
Objective The present study prospectively examined the development of child PTSD symptoms (PTSS) and the impact of caregiver PTSS on child PTSS following injury. Methods One hundred and eighteen ED patients and their caregivers were interviewed in-hospital and 2- and 6-weeks posttrauma. Structural equation modeling and hierarchical linear regressions examined the development of PTSS. Results A model combining child and caregiver 2-week PTSS into one latent family PTSS variable provided the best fit to the data. Child in-hospital avoidance symptoms predicted higher levels of 2-week family PTSS. Two-week family PTSS predicted child 6-week PTSS. Post hoc analyses revealed an interaction between in-hospital caregiver avoidance symptoms and child reexperiencing symptoms in predicting 6-week child PTSS. Conclusions Results highlight the dynamic development of child PTSS. Different symptom clusters may be related to higher PTSS at differing times posttrauma and may inform the development of time-sensitive methods of assessment and intervention for injury victims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Ostrowski Sarah A; Ciesla Jeffrey A; Lee Timothy J; Irish Leah; Christopher Norman C; Delahanty Douglas L
Journal of Pediatric Psychology
2011
2011-08
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsq113" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1093/jpepsy/jsq113</a>