Child coping and parent coping assistance during the peritrauma period in injured children

Pediatric physical injury is a very common, potentially traumatic medical event that many families face each year. The role that child or parent coping behavior plays in emotional recovery from injury is not well understood. This study described coping used by children and coping assistance implemented by parents in the early aftermath of a child's injury. Ten child-parent dyads participated in individual semistructured interviews that were audiorecorded, transcribed, and coded using hierarchical coding schemes. Study findings highlight reliance on a broad range of coping strategies. Although children and parents report some similarities in their perceptions of child coping, parents do not recognize all the coping strategies that children report. This suggests potential for improvement in parent-child communication concerning coping techniques. Parents report a limited number of coping assistance strategies, indicating a niche for preventive programs. Further research should examine coping during the peritrauma period as it relates to physical and emotional outcomes to inform secondary prevention programs.