Trauma Resilience and Recovery Program: Addressing Mental Health in Pediatric Trauma Centers

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Psychology
• Trauma Care
• Mental Health Services

Background:

• Pediatric trauma hospitalization affects numerous children annually, often leading to significant emotional distress in both patients and caregivers.
• Existing trauma care models in the U.S. frequently lack comprehensive mental health support, creating a gap in addressing emotional recovery.
• There is a critical need for effective interventions to support the psychological well-being of children following traumatic injuries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the engagement and recovery pathways of pediatric patients within the Trauma Resilience and Recovery Program (TRRP).
• To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a stepped-care model for accelerating emotional recovery in pediatric trauma patients.
• To assess the program's ability to identify and provide mental health services to children and caregivers experiencing post-injury distress.

Main Methods:

• TRRP utilizes a stepped-care approach: in-hospital education, distress assessment, 30-day symptom tracking via text messaging, phone screening for PTSD and depression, and evidence-based treatment provision.
• The program enrolled 96% of the 154 families approached, with most patients being boys (59.8%) averaging 9.12 years old, and motor vehicle accidents being the most common injury cause (45.8%).
• Data collection involved in-hospital distress assessments, text message symptom monitoring, and 30-day phone screenings for PTSD and depression.

Main Results:

• High rates of clinically significant distress were reported at admission: 68.5% of caregivers and 78.3% of children.
• Over 60% of families participated in the texting service, with 40.1% re-engaged for 30-day screening.
• Of those screened at 30 days, 35.5% reported clinically significant PTSD and/or depression symptoms, with 76% agreeing to treatment.

Conclusions:

• The TRRP model demonstrated feasibility and successfully increased access to mental health services for pediatric trauma patients and their families.
• The program effectively identified children and caregivers with significant emotional distress, facilitating engagement with necessary treatments.
• Initial successes suggest the potential for broader implementation of this stepped-care model in other pediatric trauma centers to improve emotional recovery outcomes.