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Posttraumatic stress in infants and preschoolers with cancer
Anna Graf1, Eva Bergstraesser, Markus A Landolt
1Department of Psychosomatics and Psychiatry, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. graf@kispi.uzh.ch
Objective:
This study is the first to assess posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in young children with cancer and to examine individual, medical, and parent-related determinants.
Methods:
Forty-eight patients with cancer, ages 8-48 months, were assessed in an average of 15 months after their diagnosis, using mothers as informants to complete the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Semi-Structured Interview and Observational Record for Infants and Young Children. Additionally, mothers and the attending pediatric oncologist completed questionnaires on various determinants of child PTSD.
Results:
Nine children (18.8%) met the age-appropriate criteria for full PTSD proposed by Scheeringa et al., and 20 children (41.7%) met criteria for partial PTSD. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that higher child age at diagnosis (odds ratio=1.11) and maternal PTSD severity (odds ratio=1.14) increased the risk of full or partial PTSD in children.
Conclusions:
This study provides evidence for a substantial prevalence of PTSD in young children with cancer and identifies important risk factors.
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