Post-traumatic stress symptoms in childhood brain tumour survivors and their parents

Child Care Health Dev. 2011 Mar;37(2):244-51. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2010.01164.x. Epub 2010 Nov 18.

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in childhood brain tumour survivors and their parents. A further aim was to explore the relationship between objective illness parameters, parent-child interactions, coping styles and PTSS.

Methods: A cross-sectional correlational design was employed. Fifty-two childhood brain tumour survivors, aged 8-16, and 52 parents completed a battery of questionnaires designed to assess quality of parent-child interactions, monitoring and blunting attentional coping styles and PTSS.

Results: Over one-third (35%) of survivors and 29% of their parents reported severe levels of PTSS (suggestive of post-traumatic stress disorder 'caseness'). Increased parent-child conflict resolution for survivors and number of tumour recurrences for parents independently predicted the variance in PTSS.

Conclusions: For a substantial proportion of brain tumour survivors and their parents the process of survivorship is a considerably distressing experience.

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Psychological
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Brain Neoplasms / psychology*
  • Child
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Family Health
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Length of Stay / statistics & numerical data
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Parent-Child Relations
  • Parents / psychology*
  • Psychometrics
  • Recurrence
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / etiology*
  • Survivors / psychology*