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. 2023 Mar;49(2):292-303.
doi: 10.1111/cch.13042. Epub 2022 Aug 29.

Experiences of medical traumatic stress in parents of children with medical complexity

Tammie Dewan  1   2 , Katie Birnie  3 , Julie Drury, Isabel Jordan, Megan Miller  4 , Alexandra Neville  5 , Melanie Noel  5 , Alam Randhawa  1 , Anna Zadunayski  1 , Jennifer Zwicker  6
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Experiences of medical traumatic stress in parents of children with medical complexity

Tammie Dewan et al. Child Care Health Dev. 2023 Mar.

Abstract

Background and objectives: Parents of children with medical complexity (CMC) experience high levels of stress and adverse mental health outcomes. Pediatric medical traumatic stress (PMTS) could be an important contributor that has not yet been explored. PMTS describes parents' reactions to their child's illness and medical treatment and can lead to post-traumatic stress symptoms. This is the first study to describe the experiences and impact of PMTS among parents of CMC.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 22 parents of CMC. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to generate themes that described the experiences of PMTS and potential contributing factors in the healthcare setting. Themes were validated by study participants.

Results: Parents experienced a spectrum of events and circumstances that impacted PMTS. These corresponded to three major themes: (a) the distinctive context of being the parent of a CMC, (b) interactions with healthcare providers that can hurt or heal and (c) system factors that set the stage for trauma. The consequences of repeated PMTS were a common point of emphasis among all the themes. Parents identified numerous changes that could mitigate PMTS such as acknowledgement of trauma and provision of proactive mental health support.

Conclusions: Our study highlights the issue of PMTS among parents of CMC and presents opportunities to mitigate their traumatic experiences. Supporting the integration of trauma-informed care practices, increasing awareness of PMTS and advocating for parental mental health services could better support parents and families.

Keywords: children with medical complexity; complex, chronic conditions; medical traumatic stress; parent; post-traumatic stress; trauma; trauma-informed care.

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Conflict of interest statement

None of the authors have any financial interest that would place them in conflict with this research. All authors approved the final manuscript as submitted and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Overview of themes
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