Acute Stress Disorder
Conditions
Keywords
posttraumatic stress, prevention, children, acute stress disorder due to burn injury or injuries associated with road traffic accidents
Brief summary
Within a randomized controlled design the effects of a brief early psychological intervention (child, parents) after road traffic accidents or burns shall be examined in a sample of 120 children and adolescents (aged 2 to 16 years). During the first seven days after the accident a screening for the risk of developing a posttraumatic stress disorder is conducted to divide the participants into a high risk and a low risk group. Participants with a low risk are excluded from the intervention study but reassessed six months after their accident to validate the screening instrument. After a baseline assessment within 14 days after the accident participants of the high risk group are randomly assigned to an intervention group (n = 60) or a control group (n = 60). The latter receive standard medical care. Children of the intervention group are provided with a brief age appropriate two-session intervention that includes a detailed reconstruction of the accident, psychoeducation and discussion of helpful coping strategies. Both the control and the intervention group are reassessed by blind raters at 3 and 6 months after the accident. Assessment of outcome includes measures of posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression, anxiety, behavior, and health-related quality of life.
Interventions
3 modules: psychoeducation, reconstruction of the trauma, coping skills
Sponsors
University Children's Hospital, Zurich
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
2 Years to 16 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Age 2-16 years * Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) \> 8 * German speaking * Burn accident or road traffic accident
Exclusion criteria
* Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) \< 9 * more than 2 weeks in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit * no command of German * previous mental retardation
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Clinician administered PTSD Scale for Children/Adolescents (CAPS-CA) and Child Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Semistructured Interview and Observational Scale (PTSDSSI) | Baseline, 3 months, 6 months post intervention |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| KIDSCREEN-Questionnaire / TAPQOL-Questionnaire (health-related quality of life) | Baseline, 3 months, 6 months post intervention |
| Child behavior Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) | Baseline, 3 months, 6 months post intervention |
| Child Depression Inventory (CDI) | Baseline, 3 months, 6 months post intervention |
Countries
Switzerland
Outcome results
None listed