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Physical and mental health problems in parents of adolescents with burns--a controlled, longitudinal study

Tina Dorn1, Joris C Yzermans, Peter M Spreeuwenberg

  • 1Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL), Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Journal of Psychosomatic Research
|October 2, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Parents of burn survivors experienced increased mental and cardiovascular health issues post-incident. Female gender, large burn size, and lower socioeconomic status were identified as risk factors for these health problems.

Area of Science:

  • Trauma care
  • Public health
  • Psychological impact of disasters

Background:

  • Caregiving is a recognized risk factor for caregiver ill health.
  • Mass casualty incidents, such as large burn events, place significant stress on families.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To prospectively examine the physical and mental health trajectories of parents caring for adolescent survivors of a mass burn incident.
  • To identify specific health problems and risk factors in parental caregivers following a disaster.

Main Methods:

  • A controlled, prospective study design.
  • Extraction of health data from electronic medical records for up to 1 year pre- and 4 years post-incident.
  • Comparison of health problem incidence in parents of burn survivors, parents of non-burn survivors, and a control group using logistic regression.

Main Results:

  • Parents of burn survivors showed increased mental health problems in the first 2 years post-incident compared to baseline.
  • Cardiovascular health problems were elevated in parents of burn survivors throughout the 4-year follow-up.
  • These increases in mental and cardiovascular health problems were significantly greater in parents of burn victims than in controls.
  • Risk factors for mental health issues included female parent gender and child's large burn size; cardiovascular issues were predicted by lower socioeconomic status and female parent gender.

Conclusions:

  • Longitudinal data highlight specific health challenges faced by parental caregivers after a disaster.
  • A family-centered approach is recommended to support the well-being of both parents and child survivors.
Abstract

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