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Updated: Dec 9, 2025
Transient Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Model of Neonatal Stroke in P10 Rats
Published on: April 21, 2017
Parent experiences and developmental outcomes following neonatal stroke
Rachel K Peterson1, Tricia Williams2, Nomazulu Dlamini3
1Department of Neuropsychology, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Insights
Parents recalled limited discussions on social and behavioral impacts of neonatal stroke. Despite poor initial prognoses, children often fared better, but parental stress correlated with externalizing behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Neuropsychology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Neonatal stroke presents complex challenges for children and families.
- Understanding parental perspectives on prognosis and outcomes is crucial for care.
- Neuropsychological assessment informs developmental trajectories and support needs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document parental recall of early prognostic discussions following neonatal stroke.
- To investigate links between initial prognoses, current neurodevelopmental status, and parental mental health.
Main Methods:
- Thirty parents of children with neonatal stroke completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) and Parent Experiences Questionnaire (PEQ).
- Children underwent neurodevelopmental/neuropsychological assessments.
- Data were analyzed to identify correlations between parental recall, child outcomes, and parent mental health.
Main Results:
- Parents recalled more discussions on motor, language, and cognitive outcomes than social, behavioral, or mental health impacts.
- Many parents recalled initially poor prognoses, yet children showed better-than-expected outcomes at 3 years.
- Parental depression, anxiety, and stress were linked to higher child externalizing symptoms; no links found with internalizing symptoms or neurodevelopmental status.
Conclusions:
- Neuropsychologists play a key role in educating families and monitoring outcomes after neonatal stroke.
- Mental health support for parents of children with neonatal stroke is essential.
- Environmental factors significantly influence a child's functioning beyond the initial stroke event.
Objective:
Parents of children with neonatal stroke offer critical insight into potential avenues to direct neuropsychological care from the time of diagnosis through the early years. The aims of this study were to (1) describe what parents remember about early prognostic discussions with the medical team and (2) to examine the relationships between initial prognoses and the child's current neurodevelopmental status and parents' mental health. Method: Thirty parents of children with neonatal stroke completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) and Parent Experiences Questionnaire (PEQ). The children of these parents were also seen for neurodevelopmental/neuropsychological assessments. Results: Parents recalled discussions with the medical team about motor, language, cognitive, and academic outcomes, with fewer discussions about the impact of neonatal stroke on their child's social skills, behavior, attention, mental health, and adaptive functioning. Many parents recalled poor initial prognoses following their child's diagnosis, with better than expected outcomes 3 years later. Parent self-reported depression, anxiety, and stress were associated with higher ratings of externalizing symptoms in their child. There were no significant correlations between parent mental health and their perception of their child's internalizing symptoms, neurodevelopmental functioning, or any of the child's medical/demographic factors. Conclusions: This study highlights the role of the neuropsychologist in the child's care in educating families and monitoring outcomes, emphasizes mental health support for parents of children with a history of neonatal stroke, and reiterates how environmental factors outside of the neonatal stroke itself can impact the child's functioning.
