After the injury: initial evaluation of a web-based intervention for parents of injured children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Psychology
• Trauma Recovery
• Child Injury Management

Background:

• Parental knowledge of child injury reactions, including post-traumatic stress symptoms, is crucial for effective support.
• Existing resources may not adequately address specific traumatic stress reactions in children post-injury.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess parental knowledge of child injury reactions and post-traumatic stress symptoms.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of web-based and video interventions in enhancing parental understanding and satisfaction.
• To identify specific areas where parents can improve their knowledge and support strategies.

Main Methods:

• A repeated-measures experimental design was used with 50 parents of children (ages 6-17) injured within the past two months.
• Participants were assigned to either a web-based or video intervention.
• Parental knowledge was assessed pre- and post-intervention, with learning outcomes and satisfaction evaluated post-intervention.

Main Results:

• Parents demonstrated high baseline knowledge (∼70% accuracy) of potential psychological injury reactions, which was maintained post-intervention.
• Post-intervention, parents generated new positive recovery strategies and became more specific about reactions to monitor (e.g., avoidance).
• High satisfaction levels were reported for both web and video interventions.

Conclusions:

• While parents possess foundational knowledge of child recovery from injury, digital interventions significantly enhance understanding of specific traumatic stress reactions.
• Web and video tools offer concrete guidance valuable for parents monitoring children post-injury.
• Interventions effectively improved parental ability to identify and manage specific post-traumatic stress symptoms in children.