Prevalence of Symptoms of Anxiety, Depression, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Parents and Children Following Pediatric Stroke

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression are seen in parents and children following critical illness. Whether this exists in parents and children following pediatric stroke has not been thoroughly studied. We examined emotional outcomes in 54 mothers, 27 fathers, and 17 children with stroke. Parents of children 0-18 years and children 7-18 years who were within 2 years of stroke occurrence were asked to complete questionnaires to determine their emotional outcomes. Of participating mothers, 28% reported PTSD, 26% depression, and 4% anxiety; in fathers, 15% reported PTSD, 24% depression, and none reported anxiety. Further, children reported significant emotional difficulty, with 24% having depression, 14% anxiety, and 6% PTSD by self-report ratings. Maternal PTSD, anxiety and depression, and paternal anxiety were all negatively associated with the child’s functional outcome. Clinically significant anxiety (based on clinical thresholds) was not found in fathers; however, continuous scores were still analyzed for association between subclinical anxiety and functional outcome, which revealed a statistically significant association between more reported symptoms and higher Recovery and Recurrence Questionnaire scores. Prevalence of PTSD and depression are greater in parents compared to the general population in this preliminary study.