Pediatric Medical Traumatic Stress

Abstract

Pediatric medical traumatic stress is a newly emerging term in the literature that is used to describe the impact of negative health care experiences on children and their families. The aim of this scoping review is to explore the health care conditions in which the pediatric traumatic stress framework has been described and what is known about the experiences of children and families who are facing pediatric medical traumatic stress. Best practices for conducting a scoping review were utilized which included the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension checklist for scoping reviews (PRIS-MA-ScR). Following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 16 articles were included in this review. Results demonstrate a lack in the knowledge around variants within health condi-tion, developmental stage, pre-existing factors, the longevity of symptoms, child reports on trauma, and how trauma can impact future health care.